Chained
by Lightning Streak
Summary: It starts with a fire at the Central Ghost Intelligence Agency (CGIA), where an imprisoned Danny Phantom and vengeful Valerie meet in the middle. It starts with injustice. But what happens when justice and revenge are confused for one another? Where does a hero end, and a villain begin?
1. Chapter 1

_Hey, cool: I'm still alive:)_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Great columns of fire shot up from the roof of the building. Small explosions erupted throughout the laboratories, and dark smoke billowed out from the debris.

It was a disaster.

Scientists and Guys in White hopelessly ran for their lives in a desperate attempt to escape a fiery death, leaving behind important documents and even their own trapped comrades.

"_The fire's spreading to the Central Vault!" _

"Lock down passageways IR56 and 79 to contain as much damage as possible!"

"I can't, Sir; the controls are jammed!"

"Try beaming the Central Controls!"

It was chaos.

But in concern for their own lives, they never once gave thought of their prisoner. Their "Experiment."

In blind panic, the survivors of the System Failure had made it out alive, only to realize the loss of their work.

A group of scientists in particular stared at their burning building, watching in consternation and shock as their work blew up in flames.

"The Phantom Files," one whispered in a hoarse voice. She coughed from the surrounding smoke, and turned to her comrades in despair. "All our work…! It's gone…Phantom's Genetic Codes; destroyed…"

The lady's soot-soaked assistant watching with wide eyes as the flames reached higher with another ground-shaking explosion. "Poor Phantom," she replied back sadly. "Not even a ghost could survive this."

_Not even him…_

The scientist's eyes widened at that. _Oh no. _She had forgotten about Phantom. In the desperation to get out of her office, she had overlooked the safety of the Experiment.

"We should have at least released him from that Deactivator…At least he would have had a fighting chance…"

_I can't believe it. We left him back there._

"And, oh God…His _face_…I'll never forget that expression." The assistant's features twisted into pain as she noticed for the first time that her hands were severely burned.

"I can't believe we just ran. We didn't even try to help him."

_We didn't even **try.**_

"I guess…I guess we can't change that now…"

The two of them stared once more as the fire inched closer to the central Confinement Lab.

Two years back, the Central Ghost Intelligence Agency (located in the outskirts of Amity Park) formed to research and study the strange events surrounding the city. Their main objective was to track and observe all paranormal activity, and that included the controversial debates over the ghost boy, Danny Phantom.

The ghost had been plaguing the city for over five years since his first appearance, and major figures (the major, and the experts: Jack and Maddie Fenton) both believed that he was still a force to be stopped. A force to be…closely examined, and then destroyed.

And so through combined efforts that took nearly six months of planning, they captured him.

Rather, the Red Hunter, their best field agent, captured the infamous Danny Phantom.

Yet such a feat was not without setbacks. By that time, many Amity citizens believed in the ghost as their "town protector" and strongly stood against the capturing. For many days, riots and attempted break-ins of the CGIA were held, and they were led by a Samantha Manson and a Tucker Foley. (Strangely, no one understood why they suddenly supported the ghost boy. It wasn't as if they even had shown interest before then.)

But that never stopped the greedy minds of the scientists.

And they had the Red Hunter, Valerie Gray, to thank.

_What have we done? _

Distantly, the remaining survivors heard the strangled calls of firefighters and Technical Support Teams.

"I've tapped into the main Control Board, Sir, but I don't think the System can take anymore damage!"

"Lock down the main Halls to the Containment Lab and the Documents Storage Room if you can! We have to salvage all that we can!"

"Yes sir!"

A short pause, and a gasp.

"S-sir?"

"What is it now?"

"I've…I've just got conformation from the GPS encryptions, Sir. I can't initiate a complete lock down yet…"

"…What?"

"Valerie Gray is still inside the building!"

* * *

o.O.o

* * *

A soot-streaked figure clad in red narrowly avoided a falling beam, and she swerved on her jet sled to miss it.

_Dammit! _she thought desperately, her breathing ragged and shallow. _I've got to get out of here!_

The lack of oxygen clawed at the edges of her vision, and the heat slowly tore away her energy.

The flames and embers slithered closer towards her.

Her escape was cut off.

She drew her jet sled to a stop as she caught the flames licking at the corners of the metal door; one of the few escape routes she had left.

Valerie realized that the door was holding back the brunt of the explosions, and that it wouldn't hold much longer.

_I knew this was a bad idea!_

She had gone back in.

She knew it was incredibly stupid, but she had gone back in to salvage some of the Phantom documents. The Red Hunter couldn't bear to lose the information she had worked her butt off to get, and now she was faced with the reality of her fatal mistake.

The woman of twenty-one years found herself entrapped in the heart of a collapsing building.

She looked everywhere around her with a calculating glance, attempting to calm her rapid heart beat with her rationality.

_Now, this hall is the main connector between Labs…I'm bound to find another way out. _

_I just have to look. _

Her teal eyes darted back and forth, squinting behind the ever-growing layers of smoke. It was getting harder to see, harder to breathe…

Her fuzzy vision scanned the room with the help of her high-tech body suit, green statistics filling the edges of her eyesight with information.

_Come on…come on!_

And, behind a small amount of debris near the center of the hall, there was a battered door.

_Found it!_

Instantly reacting to the find, Valerie impulsively forced her jet sled into full speed.

The fires had begun inching down the hall, and the metal-enforced chambers were collapsing around it. Screeching sounds and ground shaking rumbles told her that the building wouldn't last much longer.

_I have to get out of here…_

And when the woman finally reached her destination, she looked back.

_…Oh my God…_

In the place she had momentarily stopped to look for an escape, there was a thick steel beam that had fallen from the ceiling, crushing the tiles beneath it. Fire sprang and crackled from the hole in the metal lined hall, and it slowly crept in from the roof, devouring everything in its way.

…_I could have…I just… _Beneath her red mask, Valerie's eyes grew as wide as dinner platters.

_I could have just died…_

But, no matter how frozen her body seemed to act, she knew she had to keep going.

_I have to keep moving. _

She tried to snap herself out of her stupor, and eventually succeeded in shaking out of it. _This had **so** better be worth it…_she thought as she jumped down from her jet sled to mercilessly tear at the pile of debris blocking her escape.

Metal and wood shards had punctured the both the door and the biometric security system, and Valerie shoved as much as she could away from the door, sending the shards skidding across the ruined tiles of the floor. She kept one shard and jammed the thing into the door's bolt-locks. The already-frying circuits shorted out, and the door unlocked under the stress.

_Well, wherever this room leads to, it better lead out. _

She threw the metal scrap over her shoulder and forced the door open with her hands, grunting with the effort. _I better be paid over-time for this…_

The door gave way with a hot blast of a air, and Valerie stumbled backwards with the unexpected force, groping for something to latch onto with desperate hands.

Unfortunately, she grabbed onto about 700 degrees worth of burning, flaming metal.

Her teal eyes widened in the second she realized her mistake.

And she cried out.

* * *

_Hello, everyone!_

_I just couldn't resist my temptation...Although I still can't decide if this will just be like a friendship thing or not. Ah, d__ecisions..._

_Anyway, I thought it would also be nice to tell you all that I'm not dead...yet. I'm almost done with Living On the Edge's next chapter, and Theoretically Illogical should be updated soon also. For any more information, you can go to my profile, and I normally include an update about story progress every so often._

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own Danny Phantom.**_

_Thank you for reading this! Yet I really want to try and get better at writing, so please please review! I greatly appreciate constructive critisism, but please don't flame me..._

_Lightning Streak_

_Look out for Chapter 2! Coming to a computer near you (hopefully by January...)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow, thank you so much for all of the positive feedback on this story! I really appreciate it!_

_And, because of your positive feedback, I was actually inspired to write, and got this chapter out nearly three weeks earlier!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 2**

* * *

At first, Valerie felt nothing; shock coursed through her.

But then pain quickly set in. The teasing sense of needles dancing in her hand deepened, and the warmth of the flame imbeded itself underneath her skin.

The warmth morphed into searing flashes.

She instantly snatched her hand away from the fire and cradled her abused hand against her stomach, resisting the urge to faint.

"N-not…g-good…" she hissed out in pain. "Not g-good…" The small flame that had torn through her hand slowly died out once smothered by the heavy material of her suit. The deep burns still stayed.

Flashes of pain pulsed up and down her arm, and Valerie grimaced, unable to control the pain.

She refused to look at her hand. She was afraid to know how bad it looked.

_I still...have to get those documents…_she realized with a sick heart. _And I might not even make it._

With that realization, the pain in her right arm pulsed more acutely than ever. The smoke that surrounded her dived into her lungs every time she breathed. She became more aware of the small trickle of blood that ran down from her burns.

_I have to get out of here. _

She turned her head to search for her trusty jet sled, but her eyes could not seem to find it. The greedy fire had begun inching down the walls, and lit the hall with such heat and light that Valerie almost felt blinded.

But within seconds, her eyes landed on the metal contraption, and in shock, she suddenly wished that she hadn't.

The jet sled was on fire.

The circuitry of the board sparked and whined as the crackling laughter of the flames tore at its insides. Metal plates and weapons practically melted off onto the floor.

Valerie's heart dropped to her shoes.

_My…m-my jet sled…_

_My jet sled! _

A wave of fire crashed through one of the surrounding doors, and swept over an entire wall. With a slight jerk, Valerie turned her head to see that the fire was now merely a few feet away, and closing.

_There's no way I'm gonna be able to get to it now…! _

Black smoke sank to the floor, and she coughed, desperately trying to clear her lungs of its poison.

The room rose in temperature.

_I'm just gonna hafta leave the sled behind…_she concluded quickly, backing away from the fire. _It's not worth it…_

With her injured hand still protectively cradled against her, the Red Hunter wheeled around and ran through the door she had managed to open. Her feet stepped onto cool, clean tiles and relief ran through her when she realized that the room had yet to be ravaged by the fire.

Yet, she turned around to face the collapsing hall behind her.

_I have to stop it from spreading. _

Almost subconsciously (and with her good hand), she pushed the metal door back into its place, jamming the remaining locks into the wall. The door would momentarily hold off the fire.

It would save her an extra few minutes.

Adrenaline pumped through her veins and sped through her heart as she wildly scaled the open room.

_Please let this lead out…_

In octagonal shape, the obviously sterilized room opened up into a labyrinth of doors, each labeled with a "Top Secret" or "Confidential" sign attached to it. Huge armories of ectoplasmic weapons hung from entire lengths of a wall, and every security measure available was suspended from the ceiling.

In an instant, Valerie knew exactly where she was.

The Central Containment Vault.

Her eyes dilated with the realization.

_Oh my God._

_**Phantom's** here…_

* * *

-Central Containment Vault-

Chamber 7

Experiment 01274

**Proceed with Extreme Caution**

* * *

_Well, this sucks… _

Bright emerald eyes surveyed his Containment Chamber. Yet another set of fluorescent lights flickered and died from a lack of electrical power, lending the Lab a dreary air. An emergency generator powered two of the five computers left, and the information on the screen provided all that the Halfa needed to know.

_This **really** sucks…_

The infamous Danny Phantom narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the computer screen from across the room.

From what he could tell (and also what he could hear,) it didn't sound good. Emergency alerts filled the computer, and the distant sounds of fire and screams only helped to prove his theory.

_This isn't good. At all. _

He laid his shackled hands against the clear wall of his cell, and his bright green eyes reflected worry. _I need to get out of here,_ he thought, a slight feeling of fear within his heart. _The fire is spreading with all these explosions._

His heart dropped to his boots in hopelessness. _Too bad I can't get out._

_...Too bad no one will come for me._

He sighed softly and rested his forehead against the wall, his shoulders slouching from the weight of the world.

Looking back two years ago, Danny never expected to be captured. Sure, he was worried about the new CGIA labs coming to Amity Park, and sure, he was also worried about Valerie the "Ghost Slayer." But he never really put two and two together.

Danny never once thought that they'd both band against him. How was he to know that the "Red Hunter" had been employed by the CGIA to capture him?

But then again, in retrospect, the ghost boy wasn't surprised. He was only nineteen at the time. He never thought ahead, nor had he cared to.

_Just like what Clockwork said…_

Danny had been fighting Vlad Plasmius the day that Valerie caught him. He was tired, he was injured, and above all, he was distracted.

He never realized what hit him until after the fact.

One moment he was throwing ectoplasmic blasts at his archenemy, and the next moment Danny found himself…caged in some sort of containment device.

It was kinda a painful containment device, really. Too small, too cramped. Danny remembered with a smile that he had complained the whole way back to the CGIA headquarters. Valerie told him numerous times to shut up, but he never did, and he tried every tactic to escape.

_"You call this a **cage**?" he asked her. "It's more like a freakin' Fenton Thermos...with bars..." _

_Valerie glared at him out of the corner of her eye. "That's the **fourth** time you've said that..." she gritted out, glancing at her wrist watch. "...In the last two minutes! Shut! UP!"_

_"...Nope," he stated proudly. _

_And Valerie groaned in frustration... _

Yet the smile on his face slowly fell into a frown at his next memory.

Once they arrived, the Halfa found himself literally carted off into the heart of the building, where there was the "Central Containment Vault." The device he was trapped in was made of something he just couldn't break through, and the Guys in White took every precaution to make sure he never got away.

From then on, everything was a nightmare.

_God, I never want to go through something like that ever again…_

_I…just wanted it to stop… _

Danny snapped out of his memories long enough to subconsciously touch one of the many deep scars that marred his torso. He winced.

Scars and gashes overlapped one another in a pitiful array of abuse, and some of them never healed. _I was never even given the **chance** to heal, _Phantom reflected sadly.

It was the product of their "harmless" experiments, in which they sucked off his energy to supply for new weapons. The scientists told the administration that they were merely collecting ectoplasmic samples for research.

They lied.

_And they didn't even care. _

_They were willing to kill me…to throw me aside like some broken toy! _

_…And they didn't care. They never did. _

Turning around, the Halfa stared bleakly at the sets of indestructible wires that were run from his cell to a generator and computer. Ectoplasmic blood coated the tips, and Danny shivered as he saw them. They were the improved and less painful version to extract his energy, but they still hurt.

And he still wanted out.

_God, I wanted to escape so bad._

Luckily for him, things had gotten better after his first year. Slightly. He got new "Keepers" so to speak, and they seemed more sympathetic to his cause. The lady scientist (he couldn't remember her name) and her assistant tried to compromise for both the CGIA and himself.

As a matter of fact, they were the ones to invent those wires so that he wouldn't be in so much pain all the time. They were nice to him, and he slowly began to feel who he once was come back to life.

But no matter how hard they tried, "Phantom's Scientists" could not give him the one thing he wanted most. The one thing he would give his life to see just one last time: his friends and family.

Danny sighed. He had lost all touch with everyone…with the world, with everything! during his two years of imprisonment. And it was often that he caught himself thinking of them.

He often wondered how his parents and Jazz were doing; whether or not his parents realized that their son was actually imprisoned. Sometimes he wondered if Jazz knew the truth of his whereabouts, or if she ever told their parents about him.

_Would my parents still have loved me if they knew? _

He wondered if Tucker ever tried to hack into the system. The techno-geek was always good at that, you know…

He wondered if anyone missed him, or if Amity Park missed its protector.

_Does anyone still riot against this hell hole? _

On more boring days, he even wondered if he should forgive Valerie or not. After all, she never caught onto who he really was…And who knew? Maybe this was just some half-baked plan of Vlad's.

But above all, above everything else, he wondered if Sam still loved him.

_After all this time…would she? _

Danny's heart ached as he pulled out a ring that had been strung onto a chain from underneath his HAZMAT suit. It was an engagement ring, one that he had been planning to give to Sam that very day. But he never got the chance.

He figured that he never would.

_God, I miss her…so much. _

_I haven't seen anyone for so long…I'm even beginning to forget what they looked like…_

_But I'll never forget Sam. Never. _

The ring was originally confiscated by his first "Keepers," but the Lady Scientist was kind enough to steal it back for him after she learned its meaning. (Or part of it, anyway. Danny never told anyone there the entire truth, and the woman thought it romantic that the infamous Danny Phantom had fallen in love with a mortal.)

He had snorted at the thought.

But as he looked at it, he was only reminded of his failure, and of the wonderful things that he had lost. No, the Lady Scientist didn't help him any; she only made him worse. And despite her kindness, she had even left him to die in the fire.

They were the only ones who learned that he was only half-ghost. He couldn't hide it, really. They actually did take blood samples, so it was only a matter of time. But they were coming close, too close, to realizing who he really was.

And then they had the audacity to desert him when the alarms went off.

_Perhaps this fire is a blessing in disguise after all, _he tried to think hopefully. _The CGIA will lose all of their documents and accomplishments. _

_…Maybe they'll even lose their most important "Experiment." _

His electric eyes strayed back to the computer screen where it showed a map of the building. Many of the rooms and Labs the map showed were no longer standing, he knew. The statistics on each room's power usage kept dropping at an increasing rate, and some labs were completely cut off from any power.

Vaguely, he wondered how much longer it would be until the Central Controls were totally destroyed.

_Well, it looks like these next few hours will be interesting. _

His shackled hands fell to his sides, and he sat down on the hard ground of his Containment Chamber. Danny was forced to realize that with four emergency generators, he and his cell would be the last thing to go.

And proving his theory, his senses had begun to acknowledge the acrid scent of smoke and fire. _I guess it won't be long now, anyways. _

Whether Danny realized it or not, a lump formed in his throat.

_…I really don't want to die…_

_I really, **really** don't want to die just yet…_

_Not yet. _

Sadly though, he knew he had no choice, but to sit and wait for the fire to come.

_Yep, this sucks. Big time._

* * *

_O.o.O.o.O_

* * *

Valerie hesitated in front of the door, her mind swirling with a chaotic myraid of indecision.

_…Should I go in? _She knew that Phantom was contained within the Lab she found.

But did she really want to face her foe? She hadn't for nearly two years…

_But then again, _she debated, _out of all the places to keep the Phantom Files, this would be it. This would be where everything is. _

_No matter how much I hate it, everything I've worked for lies on the other side of that door. _

Valerie knew that she had gone back in the building having the intention to come back out with the Files, but now that she was there, she didn't know what to do.

_Should I go in? _

It was not like she was going to come back out, anyway.

…_Is it worth it? _

Although she had been trying to resist the truth, Valerie realized with a sickened heart that all of her escape routes had been cut off the moment she strayed from the Main Hall. And even then, she wondered if she would have even made it.

Logically thinking, she was already dead meat.

She looked down at her hand and saw that she was already half-way there.

So what could a little visit with her archenemy hurt? At the very least, she'd die with her accomplishments surrounding her. She would see Phantom chained there, with no way out.

Just like her.

With that thought, she took a weapon off the wall and turned the freakishly large X-lock on the door. It spun like a bank vault would and opened once the still unscathed microchips acknowledged Valerie.

_I hope this isn't a mistake... _

She walked into the Lab.

And there, in the center of it all, chained and painfully shackled within his cell, was Danny Phantom.

At the sound of the door opening, he turned around in surprise, and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

He couldn't believe it.

And for the first time in two years, the Red Hunter heard Phantom speak.

"…Valerie?"

* * *

_Wow, this amazing! I actually updated within two weeks! Seriously, that's a new world record for me...Perhaps it is just because I'm very enthusiastic about this story. It's just so different than anything else I've ever written, that I have no problems with inspiration. I hope this continues, though... :)_

_CHAPTER 2: Should be out by middle of January at the latest._ _(Thought you might like a heads up...)_

_Now, for the part where I unmercifully interrogate you:)_

**1.) Did this chapter have a generally good flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters interesting and, for the _most _part, adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any scenes that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Is the transition between scenes seem choppy or awkward? **

**5.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

_If you would be kind enough to answer this questions, I would greatly appreciate it. I can never turn down constructive critisism! _

_So **PLEASE REVIEW!** Reviews keep me motivated! _

_Thanks for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_


	3. Chapter 3

_Oh wow, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate all of your constructive critisism and praise:) And so, here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! _

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 3**

* * *

"…Valerie?"

Their eyes locked.

As if it pained her to say it, Valerie civilly acknowledged his existence. "…Phantom."

A tense silence channeled its way through the Lab, and both ghost and hunter were unsure what to do. Danny eyed her weapon warily, and Valerie eyed Phantom with deep mistrust.

It was obvious that she wasn't happy to be anywhere near him. At all.

But Danny, his curiosity ever mounting, couldn't help but ask, "What are you doing here?" His confused eyes drank in her soot-soaked form.

"None of your business, _ghost_," Valerie snapped angrily at him, her good hand instinctively inching towards the weapon on her belt. She still couldn't trust him, the hunter decided. _Not even with all those restraints…_Despite her body's needs, she held a tense stance, unwilling to show weakness in front of her enemy.

_I can't let him know I'm hurt. _Her eyes hardened with a calculating glance.

"Two years," Phantom reminisced quietly, breaking the strained silence between them. "It's been two years, hasn't it?"

"Yes," she replied coldly, her fingers itching to pull the weapon from her belt. "It has."

The ghost sighed softly, and he awkwardly blew his bangs out of his vision. "It feels like it's been so much longer…" He lifted his gaze to meet hers. "You know what I mean?"

And in that moment, Valerie noticed a dramatic change in the ghost she so profusely called an enemy.

Her eyes narrowed as she stared him down, her fiery eyes piercing against the undaunted gaze of the ghost.

Something was…different about him, she realized with a start.

He looked older (that part was most obvious), and surprisingly seemed as if he were the same age as her. So he was still aging, then. His white hair was unruly and unkempt, and seemed to fall past his ears- slightly longer than Valerie remembered. His once exceptionally tanned skin was much paler, also.

But what bothered her, what sent her nerves on edge, was Phantom's eyes.

They were that same green, that _annoying _electric green, but something was different. Something seemed altered within them.

Instead of bright, mischievousness staring back at her, Valerie found that Phantom's eyes held a deeper sense of sorrow and loneliness; a more profound sense of something that she just couldn't define.

She found that his stare was rather…unnerving.

"So Val," he finally said to her, casually breaking off their staring contest, "why are you here again?" His eyebrows furrowed in confused concentration. "I can't seem to recall your reason…"

"That's probably because I never told you, _Phantom_," she said with a raised eyebrow. And, as an after thought, she added condescendingly, "And don't call me Val."

At this, Phantom seemed surprised. "Why not?" he asked curiously, his head tilting slightly.

She rolled her eyes in barely restrained frustration, and crossed her arms, careful to keep her (still painfully) burnt hand cradled away from sight. "Because," she told him haughtily, "I never gave you permission to call me by my nick-name."

Suddenly, a distant explosion shook the floor with a small rumble, and both Danny and Valerie's eyes locked onto the remaining computer monitor. One of the Central Circuits had finally given way to the fire.

One more of the fluorescent lights above them flickered and then eventually died.

_This building isn't going to last much longer, _both of them realized.

_Not good… _They shot each other a look of anxious helplessness, although neither would have admitted to doing so.

Danny coughed lightly. "…_So_…" he drawled out after the initial shock wore off. His green eyes took on a facet of worry, but he tried not to think of the fire. "Why can't I call you Val?"

In that moment, Valerie seemed to remember why she had even come, and her eyes darted across the dimly lit room. "I already told you that," she replied distractedly.

Danny rethought his question before asking once more, "…Why don't I have _permission_ to call you Val?"

Her jaw set in a grimace. _Just like old times…he can't shut up. _With mental strain, she spat, "You don't know me, that's why!" And with a frustrated air, she spun on her heels and proceeded to stride across the white tiles toward the Experiment Tables.

_Now those stupid documents better be here, _she mentally seethed. _Or I swear that someone's gonna pay._

It hadn't even been five minutes, and Phantom was already on her last nerve.

"Well, _okay_ then, Miss Gray," he muttered, snapping Valerie out of her thoughts. His playfully narrowed eyes followed her movements. "I demand then on that subject, that you don't call me, as you so lovingly say, 'ghost.'"

His sad eyes suddenly glinted with a hint of their former mischievousness.

Valerie turned sharply to glare daggers at him, but she said nothing. Instead, she merely returned to inspecting a few of the papers carelessly lying on top of an Experiment Emergency Generator. Her eyes read a few lines of the garble, and she threw the papers aside.

_Well, those were obviously junk, _she thought with slight disappointment. _Just technology reports…_

_So then where are the Phantom Codes? _

It was then she realized that a pair of green eyes were burning a hole through her back, and she desperately tried to ignore Phantom's intense gaze.

_Stupid Phantom…_

"Now where are those documents," she said underneath her breath, trying to distract herself. Her weak ploy to do so failed.

"Is something wrong with your hand?" Phantom asked out of the blue. His voice echoed quietly within the large room, and strangely, he seemed…_concerned_. "You seem to be favoring your left arm a lot."

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "What does it matter to you?" she muttered under her breath before opening a cabinet in front of her.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's perspective) Phantom heard her accusing reply, and retaliated with his own, "Well, I'm just asking…" His eyes narrowed a bit, and he swore that he saw blood stains and burn marks on her sleeves. "Are you hurt?" he asked softly.

"If I told you, would you shut up for a little while?" she countered dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Danny shrugged casually. "I'd say it's worth a shot," he remarked with a signature smile, yet the smile never reached his eyes.

Valerie noticed that his facial features seemed much sharper than she remembered. When he smiled, his cheekbones were just a little too prominent to be healthy.

Her eyebrows furrowed at her small discovery, but she thought nothing more of it.

"Well, if you absolutely _have_ to know," she began, "I burnt my hand on the way here." She turned around, back to the seemingly endless wall of cabinets. "There, I said it. Now shut up and let me work. "

A moment passed in silence.

"…You know, maybe you should get that looked at," Phantom suggested. "Your burn looks sorta painful."

Valerie snorted. "As if you really care."

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "And what if I said that I _did_ care?"

"Then I would have to say that you're a horrible liar," Valerie replied without a second thought. _Stupid Phantom, _she thought as she shuffled through a manilla folder. _He doesn't know when to quit, does he? _

_Doesn't he know I could destroy him right now? _

In return to her callous reply, Danny sighed pathetically. "Well, I guess this means that you didn't come here to rescue me from my prison…" His eyes swiveled to hone in on the computer screen, and all his traces of brightness seemed to disappear. _Yep, _he thought grimly, _it won't be much longer… _

The acrid scent of fire slowly had slowly begun to infiltrate the room.

The fire was getting closer, and neither of the two wanted to accept that. _Let's face it, _Danny realized slowly, _we're just trying to forget the fact that we're already dying… _He bit his lip in distress.

And so, they both continued a pathetic attempt to hide their anxiety.

"_Please_, I'd rather destroy you than let you escape," The Red Hunter sneered at him from across the Lab, trying to distract herself from the impending signs of fire.

"I figured you would say that," Phantom responded dejectedly. He attempted to stand up from his spot on the floor, and he hissed sharply in pain when his sides began to spasm.

At the harsh intake of breath, Valerie turned around, and her teal eyes widened in a mixture of alarm and surprise.

Phantom wistfully added, slightly out of breath, "Although, I don't think I'd be much of a challenge now…" Sad green eyes locked in on Valerie, and he leaned most of his body weight against the wall for support. "I don't think I'd be much of a challenge for _anything_, really."

And for a split moment, the Red Hunter lost her ability to speak. Her lips moved to say something, but nothing came out.

_Oh my God…_

_…What…What **happened **to him? _

When Phantom had been sitting down on the floor of his cell, his form had hidden the sick tangles of wire that lined one of the walls. But now, now that he was (barely) standing, her eyes became exposed the revolting truth.

Thick, ectoplasmic-coated wires hung off Phantom's starved form like savage vines, and the few that were still connected to his torso glowed with an unearthly light: they glowed with the sickening mixture of blood and ectoplasm.

_…I can't believe this…_

His once proud HAZMAT suit seemed just as defeated as him, a few blood-stains here and there, and it weathered many gashes from the wires that hooked up onto his arms and chest.

And as Valerie, still in a phase of disgusted awe, peered closer, she saw many of the deep wounds that were inflicted upon him. Many of those wounds, she noticed, had barely healed, and overlapped into a sick pattern of scars.

She couldn't move; she couldn't look away. Her brain seemed locked in its own inability to accept the facts, like a deer caught in the headlights.

She was vaguely aware that her jaw had dropped.

Danny, having noticed her gaping stare, raised an eyebrow before asking, "What? Are you done _basking_ in your triumph yet?" His eyes hardened in quiet accusation.

_Is this what you wanted, Valerie?_

_Did you really want this? _

Phantom's voice took on a tone of sorrowful taunting as he challenged her, "Are you happy that you succeeded in breaking my body?" A few harsh gasps filled the room from his over exertion of energy, and they sounded as horrible as the roar of a distant fire. "Is this what you wanted me to suffer through?" His sad eyes seemed to pierce through the barrier around Valerie's mind. "Is this," he whispered to her inbetween uneven breaths, "your _revenge_?"

And for a moment, all that could be heard was Phantom's ragged breathing and the distant drumming of the fire, the unspoken silence speaking for itself.

Both figures stood rigid, waiting for the other to make a move.

For once in her life, Valerie didn't know what to say. His words clawed at her conscience, and they dug deeper than she would have ever first thought. Her heart suddenly seemed heavier, chained down with guilt.

_B-but…But I never meant my revenge like that…! _Her half-baked thoughts were choppy and rough. _I didn't mean…_

_…It wasn't supposed…I never…_

As she regained her ability to speak, her thoughts contradicted her words entirely. "W-well," she stuttered out as haughtily as she could, "you deserve it! You deceptive freak of nature!"

Danny's eyes widened despite his exhaustion. _What...w-what did she just call me...?_

"Stop trying to pull the guilt-trip on me!" she bit out defensively, blinding her eyes from Phantom's wounds. "You deserve this! You destroyed nearly half of Amity Park, made my father lose his job, and you destroyed _my life_…" She seethed with her pent up frustration and anger, and she threw it all in the face of her enemy in the attempt to hide her fright. "I don't feel any sympathy for you at all."

Phantom visibly winced from her words, and while it should have brought Valerie satisfaction, it didn't.

In truth, her words were merely half-hearted.

From the moment that she had seen him stand, something within her views changed. Valerie didn't know how, and she didn't know why it happened, but her hatred and despise for Danny Phantom suddenly seemed dampened. Looking into his broken eyes, she realized she actually _did _feel something akin to sympathy for him…

…And that scared her.

She didn't _want _to feel sorry.

She tried to rekindle the deep animosity by insulting him and remembering all his wrong-doings, but they gained a sense of emptiness. Strangely, it was as if everything she knew about him didn't make sense anymore, and she seethed with her own _self_-frustration instead of her anger at Phantom.

She was afraid of the truth, of being told that everything she knew was a lie. She wanted his wrong-doings to be real, she wanted his evil-side to show, because then, _she _wouldn't have to change. Her views would be the truth, and she wouldn't have that sick feeling of guilt stirring in her conscience.

Yet she knew that the condition Phantom was now in wasn't right…It didn't even _feel_ right to her. That spark of life in his eyes was gone, and she had the nauseating feeling that it was partly her fault.

But it was too late to apologize now, and even if she could, her pride refused to let her.

And so, the silence between ghost and hunter grew more and more strained until neither had the energy to speak.

And the fire continued to surround the Lab with its inevitable reign, slithering closer and closer with its deadly blaze.

Flames licked the door.

* * *

o.O.O.o

* * *

_Wow, this was a hard chapter to write..._

_Well, what did you think? I tried to make Valerie's reasons for her actions seem realistic, but I'm not quite sure if I got it all right...And I think I actually forgot about the fire in a few scenes, but I couldn't do anything else without breaking the moment's own drama. _

_Now, for my infamous ritual of interrogation:)_

**1.) Did this chapter have a generally good flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters still interesting and, for the _most _part, still adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any scenes or certain places in the chapter that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Is the transition between Danny and Valerie's points of view seem choppy or awkward? **

**5.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

**6.) Is there anything you think that's missing in the relationship between Valerie and Danny? **

_Thanks, _

_Lightning Streak_

**So, Please review! I'm actually having a lot of trouble with this story, and I'd really appreciate it if I got some feedback!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. However, I do own this plot line!_

_Wow, thank you all for the positive feedback! I really appreciated every single review, and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 4**

* * *

**Amity Park County Jail**

**Cell 113**

* * *

Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley sat forgotten within the shadows of their cell.

"Found a loop-hole in the security yet?"

Tucker sighed dejectedly. "No, not yet." He began to mercilessly type on the keyboard of a stolen laptop, his determined eyes never leaving the screen. "The CGIA has countless security codes," he explained in a low whisper, "and every single one is protected by a twelve digit, random password."

Twisting a bit, Sam faced the computer screen. "Sounds like a load of crap if you ask me," she told him.

The techno-geek turned to her and said dryly, "It is."

His comment managed to earn a snort from his cellmate, but both of them found the situation too grave to smile.

_Time is running out, _they both realized. _Danny might not have much time left. _

Softly, the woman added, "But it'll be worth it."

_Especially if we can break him out of there._

Tucker answered her by breaking the first of many codes.

The clicks and clacks from the laptop filled an otherwise deafening silence, and the two cellmates lost themselves in their jobs.

Sam sat against the bars of the cell, keeping a close look-out for guards. Tucker had already disabled the hall's cameras, but there was the possibility of a curious cop.

_**Please**, _she thought sarcastically_. Ever since they abandoned us here, no one comes up except for meals. _

She stole a glance at Tucker. _I don't see what he's so uptight about…_But then she looked at her watch: 6:00 P.M. Dinner time.

_Then **again**…Maybe Tucker has a good reason to be paranoid._

"Hey Tuck," she whispered back to him, "Someone's gonna come in a sec. Hide the laptop!"

Sam turned to him to see Tucker madly type in the rest of one code before slamming the top down and quickly burying it under his bunk's pillow. He turned back to her, tensely waiting for a guard to momentarily appear.

And within the minute, just as Sam predicted, one _did_ appear. A big, burly man rolled along a metal cart, his expression reflecting his boredom. He sighed as he came up to their cell, and threw out a couple of trays into the food slot. "-hate this job," the man was grumbling under his breath, and slammed the food slot shut. "Don't get paid enough..." Neither one of them replied to his comments, and the silence between the worker and the jailed grew tense.

Not that it mattered, of course.

He grudgingly continued on his way, and rolled along the now empty cart down the other end of the hall, locking the door behind him.

Perhaps it was needless to say, but both cellmates were glad to see him gone.

In that moment, Sam exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. _Thank God for unobservant people, _she thought, and turned to look at her dinner.

She instantly made a face. "Hmm…Government funded plastic." She looked back at Tucker and scrunched up her nose. "It looks like the cook gambled away all his money again."

"You're telling me," he joked back, lifting a near-rusted spoon into the soup. He brought it back out, letting the green meat splatter back into the cup. "I think this was last Thursday's special."

The soup (for lack of a better word) was a stale broth consisting of green meat, old vegetables, and what looked to be like molded bacon. He curiously sniffed it, but then instantly gagged at the smell. "I have to say," he declared to her, his face a pale green, "that as a meat-lover, this is cruel and unusual punishment." He pushed the bowl away from him.

Sam absolutely refused to touch her bowl. "Just think of the poor cow that died for this," she stated in complete disgust. "I don't even see how this passed FDA regulations."

_Then again, this **jail **almost didn't pass health inspections..._

"That, my dear Watson, I fear will always stay a mystery." Tucker's stomach growled loudly, and he wrapped his lanky arms around his middle, desperate to quench the need to feed. "If only we had _real _food…"

_Gosh, I'm dying for real meat...Prime rib...Filet Mignon..._His imagination ran with the mouth-watering desire for cooked cow.

_I feel so deprived. _

"If only we had _real_ lives…" Sam retorted without thinking. Her eyes widened. _Oops…_And with that, the joking atmosphere between cellmates grew slightly colder with regret.

Her arms crossed the moment she realized what she said, but she didn't apologize.

It wasn't like it was any of _their_ fault as to why they were imprisoned. And the people who were to fault most likely would never apologize.

In response, Tucker silently pulled out his laptop again, flipping the top open. He forgot about his stomach. "We'll get our lives back soon enough with this," he answered. "All we have to do is sit back and wait." _…Providing that this even works, _he thought silently.

"And hopefully not starve in the meantime," Sam muttered softly, pushing her bowl as far away from herself as possible. She did, however, take the crackers that were thrown on the tray, and distributed the small stack between her and Tucker. "I can't just live off crackers for the rest of my life…" Her eyes flickered back to her friend. "And it's near impossible to just _sit_ here and rotwhile Danny gets _tortured._"

"Well, how do you think _I _feel?" Tucker's face was contorted with annoyance and regret, his patience obviously flown out the window. "I'm doing all that I can to help him escape, Sam. And I'm sorry if that's not good enough for you…" His expression melted into a redirected anger, and he turned back to the laptop, taking his frustration out on the keyboard. "I too hate the idea of Danny being hurt, but we've only got so much to work with…" _This laptop is practically junk. _

The frustrated tension in the cell escalated to an almost suffocating degree, and the cellmates gave each other the cold shoulder.

_God, this is getting old…_Tucker exhaled slowly to regain control of his emotions.

Despite their obvious friendship, the two had been constantly at odds with each other. The impending feeling of Danny's future sat on their consciences with a heavy weight, and the fact that he could possibly even be dead now was something they were forced to consider.

But as days wore into weeks, and weeks into months, their situation never changed and only became worse. The riots that had been the reason for their imprisonment seemed so far away in their memories, so long ago. Now, they had to deal with not only bad living conditions, but a cage to keep them away from their friend, and a limited way to help.

The frustration with their failure to save Danny came out in tense arguments, for there was barely anything they could do. Their responsibility to Danny as a friend was to help him in a time of need, and they felt like they couldn't even do that.

Sam cracked under the pressure. She sighed, leaning her head against the cold metal of the wall. "Look, I'm sorry Tuck," she admitted, her expression melting into regret. "I didn't mean to lash out at you."

Tucker looked up from his spot on the floor, and his eyes locked with Sam's sorry ones. In an instant, his anger dissipated and his shoulders sagged. "I'm sorry too," he responded softly. "I'm just so worked up over Danny, that I snapped without thinking…"

"Don't worry about it," Sam said, attempting a weak smile. "It was my fault, anyway."

A more comfortable silence surrounded the two friends with that, however a deeper sense of remorse tugged at the edges.

_…What if we never find a way? _The thought nearly terrified them.

Sam turned her face away from Tucker so that he couldn't see her expression. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, and she dejectedly brushed them away with a careless hand. She _hated _crying. "God, Tuck…" Her voice was barely above a whisper. "I miss Danny so much…"

The techno-geek felt his heart drop to his shoes with Sam's confession. "I miss him too, Sam," he sympathized gently. With one nimble movement, Tucker set his laptop down on the bed and dropped beside Sam. "I miss him too."

But as he waited for Sam reply, he found that she wouldn't. As a matter of fact, she wouldn't even turn to face him.

Tucker waited another moment before asking gently, "Can you turn around so I can talk to you?"

"…No."

Sam's reply was barely one at that, and her tone quaked with a small tremble.

Not that she'd admit that.

"Come on, Sam" Tucker pleaded with her. "Please?"

It took her a few minutes, and countless pleadings from Tucker's side, but she eventually turned to face her friend. A few tears streaked her face, and their appearance struck Tucker to the bone.

"Oh, Sam…"

"I hate crying," Sam grimaced, grimly trying to brush away the tears. "There's no point."

"Well of course there is," he pointed out. "Why do you think people cry in the _first_ place, Sam? For entertainment?"

Tucker pulled Sam into a comforting hug with his lanky arms, and she returned it, albeit reluctantly at first. (She still hated to be overly-emotional with people, but hey, it was a start.)

"We'll save Danny one way or another," the techno-geek told her softly. "And we _will_ see him again…"

Sam leaned her head against Tucker's bony shoulder, thankful for his friendship. "I sure hope so, Tucker…"

_I sure hope so…_

* * *

_o.O.o_

* * *

It felt like days.

The few minutes that passed in silence crawled by so slowly that it left Danny's nerves on edge. It was all he could do to keep himself from screaming in frustration, and he was sure that Valerie felt the same way.

Static tension rolled off the confused Hunter in waves, suffocating the entire Lab. It was almost like some type of electric shock really, and just as unpleasant.

Even the fire seemed more forgiving.

It was needless to say, but he couldn't stand it anymore.

"…Look, Valerie," Phantom finally sighed, giving in, "I'm sorry." She turned to glare at him, but he continued on. "I know that it doesn't mean much to you, but I'm sorry all the same." His chains clinked as he helplessly leaned against one of the clear walls.

_…I wish I could prove that to you somehow. _His shoulders sagged.

_But knowing you, I can't. _

Another minute of silence passed before Valerie regained her ability to speak. "You're not sorry," she snapped tiredly. Apparently, her anger (and her injury) had taken a physical toll on her body. "Ghosts don't have the ability to _feel_."

With that, Danny snorted, and Valerie jumped at the sound, unexpecting such a response. "_Please_," he responded harshly, his words weighted. "If I couldn't feel, then these scars on me wouldn't be painful. If I couldn't _feel_, then I wouldn't have a sick feeling about that fire that's closing in on us." His vision flickered to the entrance. With his superhuman hearing, Danny knew that the flames had started to cut through the metal door.

"Oh, shut _up_ already." Valerie walked over to Danny's cell and stared him down. "I don't think you realize," she retaliated coldly, "just how much of a _hell_ my life has been because of you. And…and you _think_ you can make it all better with a _sorry_?"

_You think everything's just gonna go back to sunshine and happy rainbows with an apology? _

He avoided her eyes, unable to make contact for long.

She crossed her arms, careful to keep her injured hand out of sight. "Well let me tell you, _Phantom_, everyone's whose come in contact with you lost something valuable to them. My whole life is in _ruins_ thanks to you."

Valerie threw her hands up in the air, ranting off. Danny just sighed, sucking it up. "And if that wasn't enough, one of my best friends, my only friend really, went missing around the time I captured you. It was like he disappeared into thin air."

She sighed angrily, knowing that she had somehow gotten off the subject and had started unloading all her problems on Phantom.

Oh well. He probably deserved to listen to a raving lunatic.

"All the police determined him dead after a year or so, but I know he's not dead! They just said he was dead because they couldn't find any leads…" she babbled on.

_Danny can't be dead…_Valerie's stomach churned with the possibility.

At that, Phantom's curiosity spiked. "Went missing?" he promted, cutting into Valerie's train of thought. "Who?"

She threw Phantom a sideways glance, questioning his motives, but she gave up and told him anyway. It wasn't like it would matter soon. "Danny Fenton…he went missing," Valerie explained slowly, her tone catching a little. It was a touchy subject for her still. "You remember Danny…don't you?"

The ghost was taken aback. _I was presumed missing? _But then he mentally shrugged. _I guess it makes sense…_ "Yeah, I remember him," Danny said lightly, a small and ironic smile on his face. "He's that scrawny kid from your class you always hung around, isn't he?"

_Oh this is almost** too** ironic...Even for me. _

"Yes," the Red Hunter glared at him, his description of Danny seeming disrespectful. "He is…" But then her expression softened into something sadder. "And no one knows where he went missing…Or how, or why even. Everyone who knew him was heartbroken."

Valerie leaned her back against the strong wall of Phantom's cell. "Sometimes, I don't even know why, but I feel like his disappearance was somehow my fault." It was obvious she had forgotten that she was talking to her worst enemy. "I guess maybe it's just 'cause he's my friend, and I wasn't there for him…"

Only Danny understood the irony in Valerie's statement, but he said nothing. He merely watched as she slid down to sit on the tiles of the ground, her back propped against the cell. He sat down too (a little bit more slowly though, because of his injuries) and leaned against the wall.

The two enemies were practically back-to-back with only the thin wall to separate them, yet neither seemed to mind.

It was the closest they had ever been without weapons.

"…I don't think Danny's dead," Phantom told her quietly. _I wish I could tell you the truth. _"You would've found evidence if he was…And who knows? Maybe he's just trying to get back home."

Valerie laughed bitterly at that. "I wish."

But she looked up at the ceiling with a thoughtful gaze. "Either way, feels kinda good to get that off my mind…" Her lips twitched in a wry smile. "And just think, Phantom: you were the first person I ever told that to. Consider yourself special."

"Oh believe me," Phantom retorted lightly, "I figured I was special the moment I was given the most locked up Lab in the CGIA." Under his breath, he muttered, "Talk about the _welcoming_ wagon…"

Valerie must have heard his last statement, because she said mock-pleasantly, "And just look at that! Now even the _fire _is giving us the welcoming wagon." Her voice dripped with sarcasm as she pointed to the door. "And to top things off, it looks like I'm gonna hafta die here with _you_..."

And as Danny painfully turned to face the entrance, his eyes widened in shock.

_That's…not good. _

The fire outside had finally blazed through the last metal plate on the door, and was tearing through it. From what he could see, the tip of blue flames had just kissed through the cracks of the frame.

And once the flames got in the room, it wouldn't take long for the Lab to light up.

_Looks like Val and I don't have much longer. _Danny bit his lip to keep his emotions in check. _So much for distracting ourselves from an imminent death, huh? _

A teasing scent of black smoke wafted into the room from the door, and burned his lungs.

Valerie coughed, apparently just as uncomfortable with the situation as he was. "Well," she admitted slowly, "this sucks." And although he couldn't see her face, Danny knew her eyes were just as wide as his.

"Oh really?" he asked her sarcastically. "And why is that?"

The Red Hunter seemed to have missed the sarcastic note in the ghost's tone, for she replied, "Because I forgot to do something before I ran back in this place."

_…God, why didn't I think of this before? I was so stupid…_The girl blinked hard a couple of times, trying to keep her eyes from welling up with tears. The reality of dying was starting to catch up with her.

_Now I've lost my chance forever._

Phantom tilted his head to the side, dropping his sarcasm. "And what was that?" he asked her curiously.

Valerie sighed in return and sorrowfully stared at the flames that had inched a little bit farther into the room.

"I forgot to tell my dad that I loved him," she said.

* * *

_Oh my gosh! I am soo sorry that it took me over a month to get this chapter out! I've been seriously ill, and I just now am getting better. Problem is, I have about seven tests for school to make up, and a whole stack of homework to go with it. I felt really bad about leaving you hanging, though, and worked on this chapter all day today to get it out. _

_I had a lot of trouble with the Sam and Tucker scene, though. I hope that came out alright. It was actually kinda hard to make them seem frustrated without hating each other…Oh well, I gave it a shot! _

_So I hope you like it, and I'll try to not leave you hanging for so long again! _

_Chapter 4 completed: Friday, February 9, 2007_

_Expected Chapter 5 Release: Late February at the most. _

_And now, the infernal interrogation! _

**1.) Did this chapter have a generally good flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters still interesting and, for the _most _part, still adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any scenes or certain places in the chapter that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Is the transition between Danny and Valerie's points of view seem choppy or awkward? **

**5.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

**6.) Is there anything you think that's missing in the relationship between Valerie and Danny? **

**7.) Do Sam or Tucker in any way or form seem out of character? If so, how can I improve this? **

**8.) Is the transition between Valerie's hatred and acceptance of Phantom rushed or incomplete in any way? **

_Thanks, _

_Lightning Streak_

**So, please review! Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I take every bit of constructive criticism seriously. **


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I, Lightning Streak, do not own Danny Phantom._

_…YES! Constructive criticism! Thank you all so much for answering my questions! I really appreciated all of the reviews I got, and I can honestly say that I've taken a lot of the advice given to me and used it! Thank you! (dies in utter happiness.)_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

Whistling a little tune, Jazz Fenton shut the apartment door behind her. In her arms was a tremendous stack of papers, and it was the exact reason why she was whistling.

A small, triumphant smile lit her face.

"Hey, Ghostey," she greeted brightly to her pet dog, setting down the papers on her kitchen table. The little dog yapped excitedly at her master's return, and Jazz bent down beside her. "How's my girl?"

Ghostey barked happily, and jumped into Jazz's arms. "Good, I take it?" she asked with a laugh, the dog licking her cheek. She set Ghostey down onto the carpet, and stood up. "Well I'm having a great day, too."

"Wanna know why?" she said excitedly as she picked up a phone. "I finally got enough signatures!" _Finally!_

_I can't believe it! It's been so long...I just, I can't believe it! I finally found a way!_

Her lithe fingers quickly dialed a phone number, and she impatiently listened to it ring.

_**Ring…**_

_**Ring…**_

_**…Ring…**_

"Thank you for contacting Amity Park County Jail," a mechanical voice said monotonously. "Press 1 to speak with a representative, Press 2 in order to contact the CGIA division of Amity's police, or if you have any information about a certain crime, Press 3."

Obediently, Jazz pressed one, and waited patiently once more. _Come on...Come on, come on! _

Or, not so patiently.

Finally, after a few more rings, a representative picked up. "You've reached Amity Park's Representative Line, can I help you?" the man asked tiredly.

Jazz, unable to contain her excitement, was an extreme contrast to the receptionist. "Yes, I have a proposition concerning Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley?" Jazz bubbled happily. The hand that held the phone literally shook in anticipation, for she had finally found a way to help her brother. "They were the leaders of the Protest concerning Danny Phantom's imprisonment."

The receptionist, however, did not even hold one ounce of life, and drawled rather snappishly, "And what is your name?"

"Jazmine Fenton."

At that, the representative gave a little start; equivalent to the slightest spark of life. "A Fenton?" he inquired curiously. "As in Jack and Maddie Fenton?"

Jazz blinked, but replied easily, "Yes, they're my parents…But umm, why do you ask?" _Is that __**all**__ I'm known by? _

It was a scary thought.

"Oh, I just thought I'd heard that name before," he responded nonchalantly. " You said you had something about the Protest leaders?"

A little thrown off by the change in subject, Jazz paused. "I have a petition about them, actually. On July 23rd, roughly six months ago, the judicial board of Amity created the option of a petition due to popular demand," she explained in an authoritive manner. "This petition states that if one thousand signatures were added, then the Amity Park police would consider allowing The Protest leaders a probation."

"A probation?" The representative, obviously not aware of the petition, rose his voice in a small degree of confusion. "You mean they're thinking of letting those two maniacs go?"

The girl on the other line couldn't help but frown at the man's reaction. "Danny Phantom's…_imprisonment, _if you will, has been controversial since day one," she reasoned. "And these two were the only ones to have voiced their opinions."

"But they tried to burn down the CGIA two years ago!" the man argued. "Their 'friendly protesting' was a _danger_ to society."

"They were charged with attempted vandalism." Jazz wove the phone chord around her fingers. "And because the CGIA was never actually damaged, their sentence was three years. Now, because of recent psychology tests the jail has partaken in, it has been proven that Sam and Tucker are both mentally stable and reformed enough to be let back into society. On top of that, the majority of society itself (as I've said before) has always disagreed with their imprisonment, and so the council has compromised with a petition."

Jazz proudly finished her speech with that, her voice ringing with determination. "Now," she said, deceitfully sweet, "if you would be so kind as to direct me to the next step, I would greatly appreciate it."

For a quick moment, the man seemed to hesitate in his answer. But finally, he sighed and replied, "Well, if you have a legal petition, then I can guarantee you've won. But for the petition to be valid, you need to present it to the Amity Council and get it signed by the Deputy Sheriff. Then you can appeal to the jail advisors for Manson and Foley's release." He then went on to give her the directions to the Town Hall, and she politely thanked him for his time. He gave a small grunt of acknowledgement, and then disconnected from the line.

Obviously, he wasn't one of the civilians who signed the petition.

_Oh well. _In her excitement, even the representatives attitude couldn't bring her down. She was one step closer to bringing her friends home!

Yet as she dropped the receiver back onto the hook, she thought, _And I'm one step closer to Danny… _Her heart twanged a bit with the thought.

_My little brother..._

In all honesty, she had no idea what to do when he had first been captured. It seemed that nothing could work; she couldn't do anything. She had tried to look at the situation logically, but it only forced to realize that Danny had no way out; no escape from his greatest nightmare.

She couldn't protect him. Jazz couldn't protect him like she said she would.

Like she _promised. _

And then when Sam and Tucker tried to bust him out…_I was left alone in the fight._

_I almost gave up. _

But then, Jazz mentally shook herself out of that particular black hole. _I didn't though_, she assured herself. I_ didn't give up, and that's what counts. I finally found a way to help._

She was going to get her friends out of jail, and then the Ghost Getters were gonna trip the CGIA's system and get her little brother out.

It had to work.

Turning back around to face the living room, Jazz forced herself to be positive. _It'll work, it'll work, _she repeated like a mantra in her mind. _I've got the petition, and half the battle's already been won._

Her lithe fingers curled around her car keys in an attempt to comfort herself, and she dutifully plastered a small, determined expression on her face.

_I can do this. _

She glanced up at the digital clock by the phone and saw that it was already getting late. _The Town Hall closes in an hour, _she realized, her teal eyes widening. _I'd better get a step on it!_

Her key chain already looped on her wrist, Jazz gathered the papers back up into a nice, straight stack and tucker them under her arm. "I'll be back," she told her puppy dog, bending down to give Ghostey a quick pat on the head. "Will you be okay while I'm gone?"

The small dog nuzzled into Jazz's hand and whined, flashing pitiful green eyes up at the woman. _Maybe_…it seemed to say.

Of course, Jazz being the animal-lover she was (something she'd picked up from Sam), she was hard-pressed to say no to that face.

But amazingly, she managed a compromise.

Standing back up, she marched over to the TV, and picked up the remote, the sleek design filling comfortably in her hand. She hit the power button and set the screen to some news channel, not caring to find out which one it was. "There," she said triumphantly. "At least now you've got something to keep you happy."

Ghostey woofed in a reluctant agreement, and curled up in a ball next to the TV. She did, however, cast one last glance of loneliness at her own.

"Relax, I'll be back soon," Jazz affectionately rolled her eyes. "Right now, I've got to go save my friends."

Wheeling around, she inhaled a deep breath of preparation, and headed for the door of her apartment. Then, with one last pep talk, she turned the knob and walked out the door, locking it behind her.

But if she had stayed one more minute, or listened to the news for one more split second, Jazz would have caught the most heart stopping subject in over two years.

"-Terrible events in Amity Park," the newscaster was reporting gravely. "The Central Ghost Intelligence Agency exploded into fire at roughly 8 o' clock this evening." The woman motioned to a screen which showed a helicopter view of the building.

In comparison to the dark cool night, the building looked like an apocalyptic furnace. Flames taller than the structure itself flashed from the two-story, and lashed out at the sky with angry tendrils. "Reasons for the fire are unknown, and the fire department has still been unable to contain the rapid spread of the flames." The camera zoomed into where three firemen were desperately shooting gallons of water onto the roof. It had no effect, and the flames only grew taller.

"Nearly all of the staff and personnel were able to escape this fire before the exits were blocked, however there is rising concern over the possibility of trapped individuals still inside." The woman took a fleeting glance back down at her notes. "Among the list of missing persons is our very own Red Hunter, Miss Valerie Gray. The Tech-support have traced her whereabouts to the Central Labs in the building, yet firefighters say an attempt to rescue her would be impossible."

She continued on, her tone carrying a sense of awe, "The sheer heat of this fire has made entering it lethal, even with proper equipment." After a short pause, she added, "Fire experts say that the probability of the Red Hunter's survival, along with all other trapped personnel, are steadily declining with every minute they are not rescued."

The camera zoomed to the left of the anchorwoman, revealing her partner: a fellow newscaster. "On that note," the male picked up gravely, shuffling his papers, "a major question has arisen. Through all the chaos, the survivors of this tragedy are left wondering the possible survival of their experiment: the notorious Danny Phantom."

At that, Ghostey's left ear flicked up, having recognized the name. Her head tilted in interest.

"Ever since his controversial capture two years ago, the scientists have run legalized experiments on Phantom, in order to better understand and fight against Amity's ghostly problems. In doing so, his powers have been tested to their limits, and (from what they are willing to tell us) are quite literally drained to the point of mere human abilities. And so, with this fire blazing its way to his Containment Lab, it could prove to be a rather unconventional test within itself. Having reduced the ghost to _human _weakness, strange and previously unconsidered questions have come to mind. Can you weaken a ghost and then eliminate it with a natural element? Can a near-humanized Phantom survive this natural disaster?"

The view of the building slowly faded from the screen, and the co-anchor picked back up. "We'll keep you updated during this event, however, we have pressing news from our evening traffic director, Tracey Scott…"

Ghostey let out a soft whine.

* * *

_o.O.o.O_

* * *

_And so, with that (hopefully) happy news, I leave you to the notorious interrogation!_

**1.) Did this chapter have a generally good flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters still interesting and, for the _most _part, still adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any scenes or certain places in the chapter that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

**5.) Is there anything you think that's missing in the relationship between Jazz and Danny? **

**6.) Does Jazz in any way or form seem out of character? If so, how can I improve this? **

**7.) Did it seem too rushed in places**

**8.) Have I been able to keep a steady level of reader interest? **

_Okay, enough of that. But on top of everything; I'm sorry this chapter is so short! It's basically a filler, since I'm having trouble with the next scene, and I really didn't want to wait another week to update. In any case, I hope you still enjoy this fic! _

_Thanks for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

_**Oh, and please review! Even though my updating is kinda rusty, I look through every single review I get in order to gain inspiration to write. So, if it's not too much trouble, I'd appreciate some feedback:)**_


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom._

_Wow, thank you so much for all of the reviews! I couldn't stop smiling all day when I checked my email. I really took all criticism to heart, and I tried to make this chapter the best it could be. Thanks a bunch for the support!_

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 6**

* * *

It was a nightmare.

Valerie kept thinking that maybe in the next minute, she'd wake up. That maybe, everything that was happening was just a sick dream. That maybe, Phantom was still the person…well, _being_ she hated most.

But no, it was just wishful thinking on her part.

As a matter of fact, _everything_ she wanted at the moment was wishful thinking. Her jet sled, her life back…even an ice cream sundae. (Of course, that last one was only because she was trying to distract herself.)

But either way she thought of it, she couldn't block out reality. She was going to die in the fire, simple as that. And with her arch enemy, no less.

The thought didn't exactly help to calm her nerves.

And when she thought of her father, standing helplessly outside the burning building, tears sprung to her eyes. _I'm sorry, Daddy…_

_I guess you were right, after all._

Her hands shook with adrenaline, and her burnt hand pulsed with such a horrible pang that she couldn't hold in every gasp of pain. The flames had produced a black screen of smoke, and had finally reached the two.

She coughed harshly in reaction, and every so often, she heard Phantom cough too.

_Why is this happening to me? _

Luckily for them, the more flammable things were located on the far wall of the Lab, and away from the approaching fire. The flames that began leaking in through the door frame had slowly spread out onto the surrounding few inches of wall, and the strong coating of metallic paint was buying them precious minutes.

They were seemingly suspended in time, or so it felt.

A deafening, somewhat uncomfortable silence had passed the moments after Valerie had told Phantom about her dad. Phantom had grown rather quiet after that, and when she looked back at him, she saw something in his eyes she didn't expect to see; it was as if he understood her exactly.

_I never got to tell my dad I loved him… _With every passing minute, the reality of death crept closer to hitting home. Her eyes watered a bit with held-back tears, and she desperately tried to blink them away.

"…I'm sorry you never got to tell your dad good-bye, Valerie," the ghost told her softly. "I know you care for him a lot."

Despite the tears that threatened to fall, Valerie couldn't help but snort at his words: it was an old habit. "Like _you _care," she countered automatically, adjusting the position of her hand.

Of course, the more she thought about it, the less she cared about how open she was. She was gonna die anyway, right? Did _anything_ really matter anymore? " But I _do _care for my dad a lot…especially after Mom died."

"Your mom died?" Phantom asked, unexpectedly surprised.

"Yeah," Valerie grimaced, not fond of the memories. "But it was a long time ago, so don't pretend to give me pity. I don't want it anyway."

Phantom slowly held his hands up in surrender, although he instantly regretted it. His arms and torso broke out in alarming spasms, forcing him to nearly double over. "I won't say a word," he managed to say between harsh coughs. Just then, the fire crackled onto a wooden panel, as if to reinforce his statement.

Valerie couldn't help but wince at the sound.

"Better not,"she said not unkindly, although it was cut short by a small cough. _Ugh…_

The smoke was getting worse, and so was her sense of panic. _I've got to keep myself occupied, or else I'm gonna lose it…_She drew her injured hand closer to her body.

_The fire's getting closer…_

_I'm running out of time. __**We're **__running out of time. _

"So, Phantom," she prompted wearily, trying to distract herself, "why do you have a ring around your neck? Is it some sort of symbol or what?"

She tried to ignore his shudder of pain as he attempted to calm down his spasms. And for a moment, his soft ragged breath pulsed louder in her ears than the oncoming fire. However, the ghost's sharp pangs eventually ebbed away into a bad memory, and he inhaled a deep breath to stabilize himself; something the girl noted as odd for a ghost.

Danny looked down at his chest, surprised that Valerie had even noticed it. _Do women seriously have eyes in the back of their heads? _Then, careful to not trigger another spasm, he gently lifted the necklace from its resting spot and cradled it in his scarred hand. "Well," he sputtered, struggling for words, "I mean, it's kinda hard to explain, really…"

Valerie took a sideways glance at the door, and saw that the flames had finally reached the cabinets. She was acutely aware that the temperature of the room had spiked, but she tried to ignore it. "I _would_ say that you've got time, but that would be an obvious lie," she reasoned dryly. She managed a weak smile with her words in spite of herself though, just to say that she could still laugh.

The Red Hunter found herself surprised, for Phantom managed a small smile too.

His smile fell though, just as quickly as it came. She heard his chains clink, and as she turned around to fully face him, she saw that he had untied the crude chain of a necklace around his neck. "I know this is gonna sound odd, but…" he hesitated, "do you believe a ghost can fall in love?" He gently polished the ring's black opal stone.

Thrown off by his question, Valerie didn't really know how to answer. "I guess I never really thought about it," she finally admitted. "I always thought ghosts were just evil." Her eyebrows furrowed, confused what his question had to do with anything. "Why?"

Danny looked up to face Valerie, and his green eyes softened with a distant memory. "Believe it or not, but there was this girl…And well, she helped me out a lot to capture ghosts…" He trailed off, unsure of how Valerie would react.

_Will she laugh?_

But despite his fears, Valerie leaned forward. "Go on," she coaxed, obviously interested in his story.

Phantom awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, and Valerie couldn't help but think that was such a familiar gesture. "…Well, I had known her for a while, and…it took me sometime before I even realized it, but…I fell in love with her," he confessed hesitantly.

And in response to this, the Red Hunter blinked.

…_Huh…_

_…_

_…Wait__, **WHAT? **_At first, Valerie's mind didn't register his words, but once they sunk in…

For the second time that night, her jaw dropped.

Unfortunately, that was not the greatest idea ever, for her lungs were instantly bombarded with the acrid scent of black smoke. Her shock was interrupted by a string of hacks and coughs, burning her insides and temporarily clouding her mind. "_W-what_?" she finally choked out, her voice cracking into a higher octave. "Y-you…_You_ fell in _l-love_?"

Danny lifted his gaze to rest on Valerie's disbelieving expression. "Is it really _that _hard to believe?" he sheepishly asked her.

In return, the Red Hunter raised an eyebrow, her expression suspicious. "Wait…with a _human_?"

Danny had the grace to act embarrassed. "And so what about it?" he asked defensively. However, despite his rather convincing act, a (very) small part of him wanted to laugh.

But the memory of it all quickly extinguished that flame of happiness.

_Oh, the ironies of life…_

Valerie though, did not take that fact as easily. Her entire face twitched with a seemingly disgusted awe, and for a quick moment, she almost forgot about the blazing fire. "So this ring," she said slowly, putting two and two together, "was for some girl you fell in…"she shuddered, "_love_ with?"

_This is the weirdest conversation. Ever. _There were just some things she didn't really want to know about her enemies. But perhaps one good thing had come out of it, and it was that the fire, for the present time, had been forgotten.

Danny nodded, justifiably glad that he didn't have to spell it out. "Yeah…" he whispered, unable to speak much more than that. His heart had caught in his throat, and the wounds on his torso throbbed almost unbearably.

_Sam…_

It was a sharp, desperate pain: one that plagued him every time he thought of the memory. It seared right to his inner core, and laced into his beating heart with icy daggers. _Why me? Why couldn't I have just been normal? _

_I was so close…_

_…So __**close **__to giving it to her… _

His electric green eyes softened in regret and frustration (which didn't go unnoticed by Valerie's perceptive eyes) and he stared at the fire with almost disbelief.

_Just __**five**__ more minutes, and I would have known the answer…_

_I was just about to propose. _

Without warning, a swell of anger flared in Danny's chest, and he had to bite his tongue to keep from lashing out at Valerie. _Get a grip on yourself, Fenton. _It was just so easy to blame it on her, to _hate _her for what she did. But he realized that it wasn't worth it to get angry. So many things had come between him and Valerie, and then they just elevated out of anyone's control.

It just wasn't worth it.

_She doesn't deserve to get chewed out; she doesn't know. Val doesn't understand…_That short burst of anger easily lost its enthusiasm, for Danny wasn't normally an angry person. However, as quickly as he reined it back in, depression took its place.

_But…is it too much to ask for that time back? _A knife twisted itself in his heart, and for a second, Danny found that he couldn't breathe. _Those two years, they're gone. _

_Sam could be gone. She might even hate me now… _

_Does Sam still love me? _

Because of Danny's unexpected silence, Valerie couldn't help but wonder why Phantom had fallen into a such an advanced state of shock. _What's __**he**__ got to be so unhappy about? _"So what happened?" she asked point blank.

The fire hissed in the background, peeling away the wall's paint.

Danny, in return, suddenly fell into a rather tense silence. _What __**didn't**__ happen? _he was tempted to ask. His green eyes drifted as far away from Valerie as possible, for he found he couldn't stare at her face. And with a strained, almost hoarse tone, he managed to whisper, "I didn't…I didn't give it to her…I never got the chance." His gaze fell to the stone floor as his eyes clouded over in silent regret.

The Red Hunter leaned a little closer to the cell in her curiosity. The closer she was to Phantom, she the more she noticed a feeling of dread suddenly uncurl in the back of her mind. _Why should I care? _Hesitantly, she pressed on. "Why not?"

Phantom, after a short pause, reluctantly looked up.

And within that moment, Valerie's feeling of dread burst into flames.

With just the ghost's gaze, she knew why. Those electric eyes, those two green eyes, held enough pain to bring a world to its knees. They seared into her like she wasn't even there, and then unmercifully clawed at her soul.

It suddenly _hurt_ to look at him.

"I…I was captured." _Because of you, _his gaze warily spelled out. "I never got the chance…" His stature sagged a bit as he coughed harshly into his hands, and the Red Hunter looked away as Phantom desperately tried to use the cell as a support to keep himself standing.

A flame devoured the cabinets.

At that point, Valerie grew very quiet. She was silent even, almost too emotionally shocked to do much else. _No chance? _

_…Because of me? _Her mind blanked. _It was __**my**__ fault?_

She should have felt happiness; she should have felt triumph. Phantom obviously cared for whoever this girl was, and Valerie had unintentionally taken him away from her.

So why did she feel so guilty?

Phantom had done the same to her; he'd ruined her life! She lost her house, her friends, her relationship with Danny, her _life_: all because of him. And she had demanded revenge.

An eye for an eye. That was fair, right?

She'd stolen his freedom, broken his body, and (although unknowingly) separated him from his lover.

So what if she'd ruined his existence? The ghost deserved it, didn't he?

And yet she couldn't feel happy. It was more than enough to have exacted her revenge, but perhaps it was _too_ much.

It was so strange, to still feel guilt. _My fault? _Like the first time she'd seen his scarred body, a torrent of guilt washed through her, and she was helpless to stop it.

She didn't understand at all, and she didn't _want_ to understand. Phantom was her enemy! She had nothing to be ashamed or feel guilty about. He deserved it!

His electric eyes seared into her own with a haunting gaze, as if (once again) she wasn't even there. And quite frankly, it scared her. She was so used to his mischievousness that his current behavior, _this_ almost freaked her out.

The moment she had brought up the topic of the ring, Phantom's expression had suddenly switched to some distant, forlorn look.

It was like he really had human emotions.

_But if that's true, _her gaze flickered back to Phantom's for a split second, _then what have I done? _

_Can a ghost really have feelings? _

Valerie had a strict moral code, one that was something always enforced. And she was proud of it. Her standards were above everyone else's, and she always maintained a level head when dealing with other people, something that her dad had even complimented her on.

But when it came to ghosts…

…It was a whole other story.

She was able to throw that moral code out the window when it came to ghosts. They were evil, they had no feelings, and they hurt her fellow humans. Mercy and compromise weren't needed in this line of work. It was like an ultimate escape from reality. It was her way of revenge for what ghosts had done to her.

And she felt no guilt whenever she destroyed them.

Why, some people would ask? Because they deserved it, she would answer.

Now, with that in mind, why was she feeling guilty?

_…Does Phantom not deserve this? _

She didn't know exactly what his moral code was, but she she'd seen enough to gauge it.

_And if Phantom really __**can**__ feel emotions…_

_…then I'm just as bad as him. _

She bit her bottom lip in an attempt to hold down her emotions. _And if I was the reason why Phantom never gave away the ring… _Her thoughts whirled a million miles a minute, desperately tying loose ends.

_…Then, oh my God._

_That would mean he'd been planning to give it to her on the __**same**__ day that I captured him. _

_**Oh my God. **_

Her widened eyes slowly found their way to Phantom's gloved hands, in which he delicately held the ring. His large, strong hands softly curled around the precious metal, protecting it as if it was priceless. It seemed to give him comfort, and with that came some type of strength.

His eyes were closed, like he was thinking back to some past memory, and his features grew softer. Like some unearthly angel, his tranquil expression was a sharp contrast of his surroundings, a hell on earth.

He was thinking of _her_, whoever she was.

Valerie pressed her lips together, keeping herself from saying rash. She had no idea what to do, much less what to say. The distant rumbles of a collapsing roof provided a rather morbid background music, coupled with the laughing crackles of the nearing fire.

She couldn't very easily say sorry; nearly eight years of hatred towards Phantom was hard to forget. And she really didn't _want_ to say sorry.

It was the price of pride.

As a matter of fact, many things had been the price of her pride. But perhaps now she was paying the ultimate price. Because of her pride, she had not only ruined Phantom's existence, but also her own.

She had ruined her _own_ life too.

And now she was stuck with Phantom. In a fire. And they were both going to die.

Her burnt hand pulsed painfully with that reminder, as if to warn of worse things to come. Through her adrenaline, she had almost forgotten about her injury. But now, _now _that she was forced to look at reality, the pain was returning.

She leaned the back of her head against Phantom's cell, the clear material cold in comparison to the smoky air. _I can't believe this…_

_I really don't want to die. _She stared blankly at the flames before her.

_I don't want to feel guilty. I wanna hate Phantom, just like always. _

_I don't want this to be happening. _

_It can't be happening…_Her eyes watered up. _It can't be…_

_It just can't. _

She closed her eyes, feeling the searing sting of the smoke burn across her skin, and the smooth caress of whatever good air was left. She was incredibly thankful for her quality jumpsuit, for it protected most of her body from the fire's affects, but yet she knew that it couldn't protect her from the fire that had started crawling onto the walls. The small crackling noises, almost like a campfire, had turned deeper and resonated more. In just the course of a few minutes, the fire had doubled its force…

_And its heat, _Valerie added silently, subconsciously tugging at her jumpsuit's neckline. The fire instilled some sort of fear into her mind, and she actually scooted closer to the cold cell rather than away from it. A few beads of sweat rolled from her temples, her own adrenaline kicking in from the impending heat.

She coughed from the hazy smoke_. Maybe if…if I just breathed deeply for awhile… then maybe I would just go to sleep…And the smoke would kill me. _

_…And then it wouldn't matter if the flames reached me. _

Her eyes shot open with the thought, and she instantly wished she could take it back. _No, no! I can't think like this, _she badgered herself. _There might not be much hope left, but that doesn't mean I should give in to it. _

_I can still die with my head held high. _And, just to prove it to herself, Valerie sat up a little straighter and lifted her chin.

_I can face my fears. _

But the once blue flames had become a bright orange, and signified a rising temperature. Their little tendrils teased the metallic paint on the walls and devoured its attached wooden cabinets. Some of the paint peeled off the wall and the door and fell to the tiles, its chrome surfaces catching the light like falling stars.

If Valerie knew that she wasn't going to die, she would have said that it looked almost pretty.

But at the very least, there was _one _small comfort. At least there was still light in the room.

_Speaking of which…_

Valerie turned her head to search for backup generators, surveying the Lab with her perceptive eyes. _I wonder where those generators are…_

_…And how they're able to function without proper directions._

The Lab itself was of an odd design, having an incredibly high ceiling and relatively low cabinets. It was a standard rectangle, though, and its walls were stone coated with a chrome paint. The door was, obviously, pure metal, and the wall beside it housed a line of microchips that acknowledged staff and personnel.

And in the middle of the room was a large and circular containment device; Phantom's cell. It had clear walls that were made of some strong glass, and it pulsed with some sort of electromagnetic field (which gave the Lab a soft, blue glow.) Those sickening vines of wires, however, poured from the back and hung lifelessly what they were attached to; namely, Phantom.

She averted her gaze, unable to stare at the life-sucking wires (and Phantom himself) for long without a wave of guilt.

Beakers, file cabinets, sinks, and a desk lined the wall that was currently set on fire. The last computer constantly flickered with its unreliable electrical source, and the screen dimmed to conserve energy.

And through it all, the fire seemed to invade with its imminent reign. A hazy screen of white smoke had finally circulated through the room, leaving no corner untouched. Now, a darker screen was making its rounds, swirling a little lower than the last circulation of smoke.

The fire was leeching the oxygen from the room, and the smoke was getting worse, having no way out.

The last fluorescent light flickered above them.

On the opposite wall were the four back up generators. The generators, just by themselves, took up nearly the entire span of the wall and basically reached the ceiling. Contained within in a black box, orange and blue lights constantly blinked on the control panels in the front. They were great, huge storages of power, meant to last through just about anything.

Of course, whether they would hold out against the fire had yet to be seen.

Valerie's eyes followed the thick, titanium wires that sprung from the generators, her vision trailing the loops that were casually strewn about the tiles. They were in perfect condition, shining darkly with their evil intentions. Almost hypnotically spiraled together, the wires foreshadowed underhanded torture.

Yet the hunter blinked as the trail suddenly ended, right at Phantom's cell.

It seemed that all generators were hooked into keeping his containment chamber functional. That seemed normal enough, she supposed. However, something was acutely different about those wires…Did she see them glowing?

Phantom watched her with a guarded gaze as she squinted past him to see where the wires ended. _What's she doing? _he wondered distantly, trying to hide another spasm of pain. It didn't work, however, and he grimaced with the effort, wrapping his arms around his scarred middle.

Although Valerie knew that glowing wires weren't exactly surprising, the Red Hunter suddenly furrowed her eyebrows. The titanium wires seemed to wrap around Phantom, rather than the containment chamber itself.

_Strange…_

And as she looked closer, she noticed something even more startling. Three wires, which were injected into Phantom's right forearm, glowed a bright green, brighter than ectoplasmic blood.

They were glowing with pure ghost energy.

Her eyes widened. _No way…_The sudden realization left a sick taste in her mouth. _Those are the generator wires…_

Danny met her gaze as soon as she looked up, Valerie's eyes wide with shock. "What?" he asked warily. His own eyes follower her's, subconscious of his state. "Haven't you already mocked me enough?" He winced at the amount of pain that moving caused him, and he leaned against the back wall for support. With a cough, he desperately tried to forget about the immense pain running down his arm.

However, it was impossible to ignore it, for the wires were still switched on.

Of course, he couldn't do much about that. He knew the wires were still running the moment 'Phantom's Scientists' escaped from the building. They'd accidentally left them on, and consequently, also left the "Spectral Energy Generator" on. It was specifically why, even despite his serious injuries, he was unable to fight against his imprisonment.

It was why he couldn't even _begin_ to heal. He was destined to die either way, though, whether it be from being drained or from the fire.

Death was starting to become _too_ real of a reality.

"Those wires," Valerie began uncertainly, "they glow more than the others…" She gently laid her good hand against the cold expanse of the cell's wall. "Are…are _you _powering the generators?"

Danny turned away from her unnerving stare, his green eyes flickering downward. "It's how they make ghost weapons," he whispered hoarsely. "The CGIA needs ectoplasm in order to create a ghost weapon…" He began to sigh, but then jerked, suddenly wincing as his ribs gave way to a particularly harsh stab. "And since I'm basically a sitting duck, I'm the best supply around."

Another blade of confused guilt jammed into the Red Hunter's throat. "You mean…they _steal _your energy to power their inventions?"

When he slowly nodded in affirmation of her realization, a sick, twisted chill slithered down her spine, and she shivered despite the surrounding fire.

Those scars, that haunted gaze, and those ectoplasmic, blood-coated wires…It all ran together.

_…Did they…_

_Did they __**torture**__ him? For his energy? _His starved, broken form suddenly came to mind.

Valerie's horror stricken eyes flew to the updated version of the Ecto-gun, which she had plucked off the wall before she had decided to go into Phantom's Containment Lab. _So that means…_

_…This weapon, __**all**__ my weapons I've gotten from the CGIA, were originally energized by Phantom? _She couldn't believe it. _We've been sucking off my __**worst enemy **__for two years? How…how does he still __**exist? **_Almost with a physical wince, Valerie glanced back to see the ghost close his eyes and grit his teeth in pain. His body looked to be shaking, and his expression told the amount of physical strain he was trying to hide.

_It looks like if this continues he won't last much longer… _For some odd reason, that thought felt almost…taboo to even think of.

But how in the world could just those electrical wires scar his body with such a horrendous ferocity?

Tentatively, Valerie gathered up her courage to ask. She realized that standing up would only expose her to more smoke, and so she merely adjusted her position on the tiled floor to face Phantom. "…Do they hurt?" she asked, pointing to his scars.

In response, the ghost glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, as if unsure of what to say. His sad, emerald eyes could have easily answered the question, but he was still partially turned away from her. Staring distantly up ahead at the fire, he decided to hand her the truth.

"Yes," he admitted, his soft echo filling the room.

At that, Valerie's gaze fell to the floor, and she bit her lip. "But…but how did things get this bad?" She couldn't get the picture of his abused body out of her mind. It tore at her conscience like claws, and she couldn't rest until she knew why. "How could generator wires have done _that_ to you?"

_Those wires couldn't have done that, _she convinced herself. The wide and barely healed gashes that were carved into the ghost's flesh were obviously from something thicker, and less accurate. _It had to have been something else…but what? _

_And why do I feel like the answer's gonna be bad? _She couldn't ignore the sickening on-going of dread and guilt.

Phantom tensed up with every word she said, seemingly regressing into a former state of thinking. When she had asked about his scars, his shoulder muscles suddenly tightened. _Don't…_

_Don't make me answer that…_

He gulped silently, his green eyes clouded with past memories. And those eyes, the windows to his soul, were stricken with the deepest sense of fear, spiraling down to his very heart.

Like a shadow without substance, the phantom memories teased Danny's senses with foreboding darkness. And yet, the memory was so long ago…Why did it still hurt to think about it?

He didn't want to tell the truth. He wasn't even sure if he could.

And for one terrifying moment, his memories came back to life.

_No…__**no**__…! _His arms curled protectively around his stomach, and Danny found himself back up against the wall. _Stop it! _

Phantom clutched his heart, sharp pangs coursing through his chest and to his lungs. _Please…!_

_**Please**__…_

A small tapping noise blurred into his mind, and the sudden sound snapped him out of his reverie. Wide, panicked green eyes met with confused and slightly concerned teal ones. "Phantom?"

Valerie's voice cut through the shadow of his memory, and slowly, Danny felt the tight hold his past had on him slightly give way. "Are you alright?" she asked him. "You sort of…spaced out…"

He blinked, his brain whirling to catch up to the present. The hand he held to his heart encased Sam's ring, and he found himself clutching it so hard that he was afraid it would break. Slowly, he unclenched his fists, and tried to relax his stance.

_It's…it's just a memory…It's all over…_

Phantom's green eyes shut tightly, as if trying to block out the memory. "It's…not something I really want to talk about," he admitted, his voice ragged with hidden emotion. "But I guess…I have nothing to lose, right?" He tiredly pointed to the fire, and then weakly smiled.

Valerie returned with her own sardonic smile, "Nice way of putting it." She subconsciously pulled her injured hand closer to her body, biting back a small cry of pain. _Thanks for the reminder…_

Danny let his smile drop. "Yeah, well, that's what I get for telling the truth…" He gave a sigh, and carefully ran a hand through his messy hair. "It's just…" he trailed off, his eyes sad.

He grimaced for a quick moment, although he tried to hide it. "When I first got here," he said, "they didn't know how to extract my energy." Phantom's rough echo was almost so soft that it was hidden by the crackles of the fire, and Valerie was straining to hear him.

Trying to rein in his emotions, he bit his lip for a second. "And so," his voice wavered slightly, "they thought…they thought that the more…_pain_ I was in, that the more energy I'd give off…"

_I just wanted it to stop… _He couldn't look at Valerie, for fear that she'd see the tear that trailed down his cheek. Almost angrily, he brushed it away with his sleeve.

Valerie couldn't hide the hitch in her breath as she inhaled. "Oh my God…" The meaning of his short explanation struck with the force of a blade, swift and deadly. She couldn't misinterpret his words, no matter how much she wanted to.

_That means they __**hurt**__ him on purpose…_

_The CGIA __**tortured **__Danny Phantom. _

"Oh my God…" she repeated, shocked. Her jaw dropped and closed a few times, quivering in indecision. A tsunami-worthy wave tore through her body, rampaging with both anger and guilt.

Fury and sadness.

Disgust and disbelief.

She didn't want to believe it, and a small part of her wondered if Phantom was just playing her as a fool. But she quickly shut that door.

She saw the unhealed scars on his body. She saw the evidence. She remembered a few instances in the past, where she'd seen hints and clues of such things, a few memories of careless and unfeeling scientists doing things. But these memories never clicked so deep before.

Phantom was telling the truth.

Valerie felt a sudden sting behind her eyes, and she angrily blinked to hide the tears. It surprised her at first, the appearance of tears, considering the reason why. Yet she couldn't accept what happened as moral, even if she _was_ thinking about her enemy. _B-but…even if Phantom __**was**__ a danger to society, he didn't deserve this! It's, it's inhumane… It's not __**right. **_

A minute passed in silence, and neither of them said anything. It was as if the ghost's words were taboo, so unheard of that they were hard to follow up on.

And then...

"They shouldn't have done that to you."

Phantom turned his head, having not clearly heard what she said. "What?"

"They shouldn't have done that to you," she repeated, her words with the same depth as before. She had her arms crossed, her injured hand hidden from sight, and she still couldn't look at him in the face, but her words rang with a sincerity that he hadn't heard before.

And for the first time in a long time, a genuine smile tugged at Danny's lips. "Thanks." He coughed a bit; his chamber's filter was beginning to fail.

He knew it was as close to a sorry as he was gonna get.

After that, an accepting silence blanketed the conversation. Neither made a move to speak, nor did they do anything to block out the possibility. Phantom and the Red Hunter sat propped up against the cell, seemingly content in each other's company.

They both realized that the fire couldn't possibly stay at the rate it was; it would eventually get worse. As the minutes passed, the smoke fell closer to the ground, and the good air became all the more scarce.

The last computer screen flashed brightly once more and died, its wires destroyed. A flame flickered just behind the screen.

Another minute passed in silence, and the two continued to watch their world slowly fall.

The last fluorescent bulb above suddenly brightened considerably. It wouldn't be too long until they both relied purely on the light of the fire.

It was so surreal, to distantly watch your future fly up in smoke. To see your death in the flames. To know your time was almost up.

And to know there was no escape.

Phantom's green eyes and Valerie's teal pair met in each other's gazes, and both silently agreed on the same thought.

_I don't want to die..._

* * *

_O.o.O.o.O_

* * *

_Well, I got this chapter out in two weeks...That's not horribly bad, right? It actually came out about ten pages longer than I expected, so I guess that's partially why it took me forever._

_In any case, I hope that this chapter came out alright. I had fun typing it, but I got stuck so many times in between Danny and Valerie that I was scavenging for even the slightest hint of inspiration. And a couple of times I forgot about the fire, so I had to go back and put in more details. But eh, thus is the life of an author :)_

_Word Count: 5944 words_

_Chapter completed on Friday, June 15, 2007 at 4:52 P.M._

I really tried to capture the moment, and I can only hope that you all in Cyberspace enjoyed it.

**1.) Have I been gradually improving on my general flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters still interesting and, for the _most _part, still adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any certain places in the chapter that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Does the transition between Danny and Valerie's points of view seem choppy or awkward? **

**5.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

**6.) Is there anything you think that's missing in the relationship between Valerie and Danny? **

**7.) In all honesty, has this story maintained a certain level of interest to you? Or has it become a slight disappointment? **

**8.) Has the plot become predictable? **

_I know that reviewing seems tedious and a waste of time, but if you could please drop me by some constructive criticism or your opinions, I would seriously be forever grateful. :)_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please drop me a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom. _

_Thank you guys so much for all of my reviews! I wish there was something more I could give than just my sincere appreciation._

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 7**

* * *

Outside the burning walls of the CGIA, firefighters gave every ounce of strength they had to stop the fire. To stop the destruction. To stop the deadly flames, and to save the lives trapped within the building.

But it wasn't enough. It wasn't even close.

Smoke billowed from the roof like black curtains in the wind, and it whipped into the sky with deadly tendrils. Like angry claws, flames tore at the night's horizon. The sonic roar of the fire deafened all the bystanders.

Newscasters trained their cameras on the site, and their reporters described the horrible sight to Amity Park. Ambulances awaited on the street, giving oxygen to those who escaped.

Coughs, hushed voices, and the wailing sound of sirens pierced the night air.

"…Sir, I can't hold off much longer," one of the technicians said to his supervisor. "The Central Controls are beginning to melt under the heat."

In return, the supervisor asked gravely, "What are our stats?"

"Not good. The Containment Chambers are depleting any and _all_ energy reserves we have. What's worse is that it can't hold out for much longer."

"Have you been able to locate Valerie?"

"Negative," the technician shook his head. "I can't lock down on her GPS…" His fingertips hesitated on the keyboard. "Sir, I…I can't find any trace of her…"

"When was the last time you were able to _find_ a trace?"

"The last signals I received were from the Containment Chambers, located in the center of the building." An alarming, rather sporadic beeping noise erupted from their equipment. "Sir, the Central Controls are being destroyed. I can't hold off disconnecting our database from theirs for much longer…We have _maybe _five minutes. "

The elder person just sighed, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. _I really don't want to do this. _"Just…just disconnect from it now, before we lose our own computers…"

In reply, the technician's eyes widened, and his lithe fingers hesitated on the keyboard. "But, sir…! Valerie's still inside the building! I can't under good conscience just leave her to die. I've got two others working to finding her, and if we disconnect now, we'll lose her for sure." He swallowed hard. "Sir, we've still got five minutes; we've got to _try_."

Silence fell between the two, and the fire's roar echoed in their ears. It was a sad, desperate reminder of their job, their _responsibility_. They were there to save whatever information they could, and to save lives using advanced technologies.

And yet, while blood, sweat, and tears was poured into that last ditch effort, it wasn't enough. They still failed, no matter _what_ they saved.

Someone always had to die.

The supervisor reluctantly clasped his hand on the young technician's shoulder, and forced him to face the fire. Even from seventy-five yards away, they both could still feel the heat. It beat unmercifully on their backs, and beads of sweat poured from their skin. "Son, look at that. That's…that's not natural …" He bit his lip. "Do you…really think someone could survive that?"

Flames danced in the reflection of the technician's eyes, almost turning his brown eyes to gold. Bitter defeat pooled from the windows to his soul, and only grew as he stared at the burning building. "I…I just…I dunno…" _I just wanted to do something __**right**__…_

For one short moment, he hesitated.

Then, he shut his eyes tight, prayed for forgiveness, and pushed a button on the keyboard. A box popped up, saying the computer was shutting down.

That, in response, shut down the GPS system, the two other computers, and the wireless connection to the Central Controls of the CGIA. The two technicians that had been put to locking onto Valerie's GPS looked up questioningly, but said nothing.

Nothing had to be said. They already knew it was useless.

It was just wasting time.

And so the Tech support slowly moved from their portable computer stations, and began tearing it down, unhooking wires, placing laptops in their cases, and staring dejectedly at the dead grass they walked on became the pattern they followed.

Had they waited just one moment longer, they would've noticed something amiss with their equipment. If they had waited just one moment longer, they would've known exactly what they were looking for.

For, at that moment, the internal system of the GPS tracker kicked in, and a small, red light blinked on the small device. The light grew brighter and suddenly blinked faster.

It had located another GPS system.

It had locked onto Valerie's digital signature.

But the stored energy in the device wasn't enough; it needed a steady source of energy, and it had been effectively cut off from one.

The light flickered and then shorted out, forever unknown to the technicians.

In the meantime, firefighters had decreed that the area was unstable. Evacuation of all bystanders, news reporters, and tech-support was absolutely mandatory.

They knew the CGIA's roof was about to collapse.

And they knew it wouldn't take long…

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

Within the building, Danny and Valerie watched the fire.

It was something that neither could describe; to watch their deaths. To feel the reality of time, but to feel suspended _in_ time itself. To see their assassin, and yet feel both vulnerable and untouchable.

Nevertheless, the lines of reality and fantasy were easily distinguished.

_I don't want to die…_

The distant rumble of a collapsing building tore at whatever sanity they had left. Heat coiled and spiraled around them, teasing them into a lulling tiredness.

Bright orange claws tore at the walls now, spreading to the wall on their right. The deep cracks in the surface helped to speed along the process, and the fire's fingers crawled along the sides, rooting itself farther into the foundation.

Danny, out of pure chance, looked up at the ceiling as he coughed. And instantly, his emerald eyes widened to enormous proportions. _Oh…_

_That's not good. _The roof of the CGIA was not of metal, like the rest of it. While it was reinforced by metal beams, the actual foundation was wood.

Kindle for the fire.

He sat up a little straighter, his posture stiff with the realization. _Not good at all…_Danny turned to face Valerie, who still had her back propped against his cell. "Hey, Val," he whispered, tapping against the glass. She turned a little to catch him out of the corner of her eye. "Look up."

And when she did, she suddenly wished she hadn't.

Little, tiny embers fell from the cracks, casting an unearthly glow on the floor below. The embers waltzed carelessly through the air, teasing and taunting the two below.

"…How long do you think we have?" Valerie's soft voice piped up. Her teal eyes were entranced by the falling embers as they fell from the roof, but her lips quivered with barely hidden fear.

Danny glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Not long, probably," he answered hesitantly. He coughed harshly into his gloved hands and winced at the pain it caused him. _Not long for me, anyway._

The sting of black smoke tore at his sides and at his scars. Relentlessly, the sharp pangs of his injuries tormented him, unmerciful in their taunting. Panic gnawed at the back of his mind; hopelessness filled his heart.

_I don't want to die…!_

Everything seemed to be going fast; too fast. Seconds passed without acknowledgement, and minutes passed in such a blur that they felt more like seconds.

They knew time had finally run out.

Circuitry and microchips sizzled in their places, surrendering to the power of the flame's heat. The fire cackled and laughed at the metal's pain, and seared into the electronics with no method to its madness.

Whining under the blistering heat and melting from the walls, metal shards shot like little missiles into the tile floor. The ground rumbled a bit every so often, and it shook the foundations to their core.

"You know," Valerie suddenly said, speaking over the fire, "you're nothing like I expected you to be…." An ironic smile was pasted on her face, although a harsh cough hid it. "I thought you were evil, but…it looks like _you're_ a better person than _I_ am…" _Weird…_

In return, Phantom gave her a weak smile. "Geez, you're not _that _bad, Val…"

For the first time, Valerie realized that Phantom had used her nickname.

And for once, she didn't care.

However, a certain side of her just couldn't surrender to her discoveries. That fourteen year old, angry part of her kept saying, "He's evil! He's evil! Phantom will destroy you first chance he gets! _Why_ are you doing this?" And it never stopped.

A very large part of her felt vulnerable, and it recklessly tore at her conscience. It was the dark stain on her mind; the chains on her wrists.

But metaphorically, of course; _Phantom_ was the one chained like a caged animal. And it was _all_ because of her.

Valerie's lips fell into a frown. _All because of me… _Like mercury in her blood, poison seemed to clash with her heart, seep into her skin. The poison was her guilt, her half-acceptance of Phantom's words. Even the slightest hint of guilt tore at her like nothing else.

It…_hurt_. It actually _hurt. _

It hurt even worse than her injured hand, or the heat that beat down on her like a club. But she would never admit that out loud. It had taken her _this_ long just to admit it to herself.

Still…

"You just had to be the goody-goody, didn't you," she whispered jadedly under her breath.

Apparently, he heard her. "I am not!" he shot back, somewhat offended.

"But why'd it have to be you?" Valerie mused dejectedly to herself. "Why'd you have to be so…_nice_?" With that, silence passed over them, for Danny wasn't quite sure how to answer that.

"Why," the Red Hunter whispered angrily, "couldn't you have been evil?"

_That way, I could've destroyed you when I had the chance. _

But Phantom merely frowned. And then, he admitted, "Because if I was evil, then I would cease to exist."

"What do you mean?" Valerie's eyebrows furrowed. "You can't just cease to-"

But she was suddenly cut off. A sick, strange sound came from the fire, and whatever it was, it shook the entire room. The floor rumbled with a shaky scream. Under the course of seconds, life fell to hang in the balance.

Neither the Red Hunter nor Phantom dared to breathe.

And then, all Hell broke loose.

Valerie only had time for a silent gasp. Danny only had a second to blink.

Neither had time for anything else.

The flames suddenly roared, having torn through the walls. It flashed to a greater intensity, and blinded both Danny and Valerie. Tainted, black smoke poured into the room like poison, spiraling through the air. A blast of heat stampeded the room and stormed through the two.

The roof creaked under the strain.

One of the boards splintered.

"Well…" Phantom trailed off, the first to speak. He swallowed fearfully, "I guess…I guess this is it." He tried to hide his ragged breathing, and he tried to hide the pain that was tearing him from the inside out. But his failed attempts cut through the silence like a knife, and it struck Valerie to her core.

"I…I guess so," the Red Hunter added softly. She pulled her shoulders back and bit her lip, trying to steel herself against emotion. Yet no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the tears that welled behind her eyes. Their presence stung at her pride and tore at her honor, but for once it didn't matter.

By the end of the night, it would never matter again.

Her voice wavered a bit as she whispered raggedly, "I don't want to die."

She coughed into her sleeve, her lungs screaming for relief. Black smoke suddenly burned at her insides and constricted her ribcage. Her burnt hand pulsed with sharp pangs, and they tore down her nerves like invisible knives.

Her body was failing her, and she knew it. It had been taxed to its limits.

A human being could only stand so much.

Even Phantom, once such a powerful ghost, had fallen prone to Mother Nature's workings. Valerie wasn't sure if a ghost could survive a fire or not, but with the way Phantom was acting, she was willing to bet he was as weak as she was.

The Red Hunter fisted her palm, refusing to show that weakness. She kept her burnt hand tucked by her side, shielding it from the dagger-like smoke. A huge part of her mind kept screaming, kept _demanding_ to not give up. Her eyes darted every which way, in a small attempt to satisfy that request. But she knew the score; she knew the game. Like the back of her hand, she had the entire Lab mapped out in her mind.

And she knew there was no escape.

Thus, with that realization, she took one of her last breaths of good air, and steeled herself for whatever was to come. She tried to fill her mind with good thoughts; things that always made her smile. But unfortunately, over seven years of hatred were the only memories that came to mind.

It was as if that hatred was so poisoned, so incredibly _tangible_, that it had blocked out everything else. She couldn't remember very many happy memories as a teenager. It was all…hate. Hate for the one called Danny Phantom.

It put a frown on her face instead.

Was she really that obsessed? Was she really that blind?

…Was that all she cared about? All this time…_wasted _on something so stupid?

By that time, the smoke was roughly three feet from the floor, and closing. Time was running out, spinning faster with every second. Spiraling away from Valerie's grasp, and recklessly tearing away her world with it.

She couldn't afford to reminisce anymore.

The Red Hunter and Phantom there, nearly side-by-side, like comrades in a battle. They faced their fears head-on; no escape.

Yet Danny suddenly gave a sharp gasp, his eyes squeezing tightly shut. His breathing became more ragged, and he clutched his heart.

Instantly, Valerie turned to face him, placing her hands on the cell's wall. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked him. Her tone was concerned, as if she no longer cared to hide her feelings.

"I-I'll be…okay," Phantom assured her weakly, giving her a smile. But his smile turned into a grimace, and his shoulders shook. "It's just…the damn g-generator…" The wires in his right arm were glowing brighter, just like what the fluorescent bulb had done. "It's taking…more of my energy than…normal."

His voice was fatigued, as if every word hurt to speak.

And in that moment, Valerie realized what was happening.

Electronics glowed brighter just before they died. And in doing so, they exerted an excess surge of energy.

_The generator is the only reason this room's held out so long against the fire…But now that all its stored energy is used up, it'll take more to upkeep Phantom's cell…_

The generator was dying, drained of its stored power. It had been powering all remaining rooms, and now Danny was about to pay the price. The reservoir it needed to keep up with his numerous Spectral Deactivators and electromagnetic barriers was burnt up.

His energy was draining faster than ever, to compensate the strain on the Spectral Energy Generator. He was powering his own jail cell.

"Is there anything I can do?" Valerie asked quickly. Her expression was indefinable, but anyone could have seen the hint of concern concealed within.

Phantom's eyes opened just long enough for Valerie to see the overwhelming stress it had on him. "Not…much," he replied weakly. The muscles that ran taut underneath his skin screamed under the pain, and his energy reserves actually _felt_ like they were being drained.

Like he was having his soul sucked out, or something…

He grimaced, grinding his teeth. _God…_

A particularly painful shot of agony tore down his spine. Hesucked in a shallow gasp, his green eyes wide and yet sightless. Uncontrollable tremors worked their way through his body. He clenched his fists, and one of the cuts on his knuckles tore open, bleeding.

Trails of green ectoplasm oozed from the ragged threads of his gloves.

And for one scary moment, Danny found that he couldn't breathe. His wide eyes suddenly became unfocused, and his vision darkened. _What's__-__? I can't…I__-_

_I can't__-__I can't breathe! _

Waves of panic rolled off of him, and even Valerie noticed. "Hey, Phantom? Are you-?"

Danny began coughing.

Valerie panicked. Her eyes widened; her heart skipped a beat. "Oh God…!" she whispered suddenly.

Ectoplasmic blood trickled from the sides of Phantom's mouth as he fell against the wall behind him, his back slamming into the unbreakable glass.

Completely disregarding everything else, she did the only thing she could; she stumbled over to the wires protruding from the cell. With shaking fingers, she wrapped her hand over the slick wires and desperately tore away at them.

_Come on! _

Phantom's coughing was slowly covered by the fire's noise. She couldn't tell if he was still breathing. _Does he __**have**__ to breathe?_

She didn't have enough time to figure it out.

The wires didn't budge, and her hands slipped multiple times. She had even forgotten that her left hand had been badly burnt. Unknowingly, she cried out from the pain tearing down her arm, but did nothing to stop it. She had to help. She _had_ to. But the sweat from her palms made her lose her grip, and even the strange pulse of the wires forced her to drop them.

They teemed with a life not their own. And that scared her.

Sharper than metal, Valerie quickly realized that she couldn't easily break or disconnect the wires. But what could she do? She quickly glanced back over at Phantom, who had slowly forced himself into a standing position. His wide, panicked eyes had focused, and they were staring rather blearily ahead. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, and his entire body shook as he coughed.

Distantly, Valerie wondered if it hurt to cough that hard.

"I-I'm okay," he managed to whisper above the fire. His deep voice was raspy, and it echoed strangely, like something was wrong. He coughed softly into his hand, and green blood spattered onto his glove once more. "Really…I'm fine!"

And then, he smiled, as if to prove his point. Which, obviously didn't happen.

A shiver ran up her spine, and she froze on the spot.

Like some angel of death, Phantom's smile was frightening and terrible. Smeared ectoplasmic blood trailed lazily from the corners of his mouth, and it transformed his sad smile into an unearthly one. The fatal wires that hung from his anorexic form almost looked like savage wings, and the three glowing wires that wrapped around his arm looked like chains for his broken body.

It shook Valerie to her very soul.

And it took every ounce of her will power not to be afraid.

But that didn't mean she couldn't look away. And that didn't mean she couldn't see the torment that was apparent in his sad, tired eyes.

* * *

In the meantime, Danny tried to keep up his façade of acting cured. He knew he must of looked like death, but he had to keep Valerie from tearing away the wires. If anything, she had been tearing away at _herself_. Whether she knew it or not, bloody cuts from the sharp wires ran across her palms. Her hands were also glowing green.

But as soon as she turned away from him, he dropped his weak smile and wiped his green blood from his lips. He drew back his shaking hand.

For all the fire and heat around them, he was shaking. Ice felt like it had frozen around his veins, and had cornered his heart. Like his ectoplasmic blood had internally bled within him. Which, considering his state of body, he wouldn't have been surprised.

His insides were dying of hypothermia, and his outsides were melting from the heat.

How ironic.

_My whole __**life's**__ a freakin' irony…_he thought, bitter.

"Go figure," he whispered to no one. Then, he shivered. Whether it was from the coldness within or the impending heat, he couldn't tell. Or maybe it was because he was so tired...

"Thanks anyway," he told Valerie with his raspy voice. "You didn't have to try and help me."

She wheeled back around on her heels, and gave him a dark glare. "Don't pull a guilt trip on me, Phantom."

Ah, so the fiery Valerie still existed.

Not surprising, though. She was technically in her element at the current moment.

Nevertheless, Danny just stared back at her with a hint of silent gratefulness. And Valerie suddenly softened her gaze. She returned with a meaningful look, weighted with something akin to camaraderie.

Then, a sudden thought hit her. "The Spectral Energy Deactivator…" she trailed off. _Is there any way? _She turned to Phantom with an urgent expression. "Can the generator be shut down manually?"

With that, the ghost shot her a rather confused look. "Manually?" he repeated. Despite the situation's graveness, he scratched his head, mentally wracking his brain for an answer, another action Valerie thought was familiar.

A second passed. "I dunno," Danny finally said, wincing as his shoulder popped. "I never got the chance to find out."

The Red Hunter glanced out of the corner of her eye. "What are my odds of getting to it?"

"Slim. If any at all." Danny knew that with the fire, the generator's main body would be impossible to access. And then it hit him…

… "Don't," he declared firmly. Valerie looked back up at him, defiant and fierce. "No, don't do it." She gave him a pointed glare, and his resolve faded into pleading. "Come on! If you do this, you risk your life, and I'm not even kidding!"

"Then maybe we'll be even," Valerie replied smoothly. She clenched her bloodied, burnt fists. A calm, almost comforting cool settled around her mind.

If she died doing this, the score would be settled once and for all.

She ignored Danny's words as she began walking towards the generator, using the prison cell's walls as a control point. "If you get caught in the fire," the ghost stated seriously, "I can't save you."

Valerie's lips twitched, but she never once took her gaze away from the silver generator ahead. "Do you have an obsession with saving people, or what?" she asked sarcastically.

In return, Phantom grumbled, "I just don't like seeing innocent people getting hurt."

The smile dropped from Valerie's lips. _Innocent…_

Her steps suddenly grew more determined.

All around her, fire danced in a deadly performance. It wove through the walls, deceiving everything with its pretty face and then tearing everything down in its path. The generator lied untouched near the end of the room; where flames had yet to tread.

"Come on, Val; don't do this," Danny warned softly. "It's not worth it."

"Shut up Phantom."

Still, Valerie was hard pressed to _get_ to the generator. Debris, falling wooden planks, and slippery tiles coupled with her now-doubling vision made it hard to concentrate. The bright orange walls were so pretty to look at, so inviting…

She shook her head, focusing her eyes. _Just a little farther, _she mentally prepped to herself. She stumbled over a cabinet door, and she grimaced when she felt a metal nail slice into the side of her boot.

The Containment Lab, reinforced by nearly impenetrable steel beams, was slowly falling apart at the seams. Even though it had been designed by some of the most brilliant architects, it couldn't stand against a fire's siege.

And Valerie was quickly finding that out.

She used the three glowing wires as her northern star, and she never let them out of her sight. _Just a little farther…_

A flame shot from the ceiling and barreled to the floor beside her.

Valerie didn't flinch. She didn't even blink.

_Just a little farther. _

The fire danced from the walls onto the floor. The Red Hunter lifted her hands out to grasp the hot metal of the generator, and its countless titanium plates and bolts dug unmercifully into her palms.

She bit back a cry.

And then she got to work.

Her fingernails tore at the encasings, desperately trying to get to the controls. But they slid and glanced off the smooth metal, reverberating a dull clang. There were no buttons, no switches, no _nothing_ to indicate a manual shut-off.

It was all internal clockwork, and it was completely impossible to get to.

"Come on," she whispered apprehensively to herself. Her mind, confused between embitterment and desire to help Phantom, held so much hesitation. Her fingertips shook with the indecision.

She was physically exhausted to the point of near unconsciousness. Her ability to think clearly was muddled at best. Her heart was pounding, and the sound flooded her ears, almost drowning out the fire's roar.

Did she really wanted to help Phantom? Was everything true?

Was he really arguing with her _not_ to save him?

It was a race against time, and she wasn't even sure if she _wanted_ to be in the race.

Seven years of hate did that to a person. Seven years of hate would make _anyone _hesitate, even if they _knew _better.

But still, Valerie tried to push back her impulsiveness. She would help Danny Phantom, dammit, if it was the last thing she did. Her pride still fought like a caged animal, and sometimes Valerie wondered if she was doing the right thing. But all that she had discovered that night overrode everything else. The proof was there; she was deceived. She had aided, indirectly, with the torture of an innocent being.

And now wasn't the time for a superiority complex. She had to put her pride aside.

But no matter what she did, no matter what she tried, it wouldn't budge. The metal plates wouldn't give. All she managed to do was leave smeared fingerprints.

She couldn't shut it down.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

_Oh my gosh; I am so sorry. I can't believe I took this long to update… _

_You see, however, I have a very good excuse. I was going to update about three weeks ago, because I had finally finished the chapter. But I forgot to save it._

_Our electricity went out at my house, and I lost everything. Everything. I had to start from scratch just to whip up this little makeshift-chapter. And I'm not very happy with it, because I feel like my original words were the better of the two. So, I'm so sorry once again; I tried to crank this out as fast as I could, and I could only wish you could have read what I had before the electricity went out._

_I also realize that I probably went for the most predictable climax of the story...However, who's to say that it's the climax:) I also had a lot of trouble writing the "Jazz" scene, because I really wanted to bring more characters back into the plot. Yet, I think at the same time, I also lost a certain degree of suspense by doing. Oh, I don't know; I'm not very good at reading my own work... :)_

_But seriously, thanks again for being so understanding. I really appreciate all of the support!_

**1.) Have I been gradually improving on my general flow of words, or should I work more on my sentence structures? **

**2.) Are the characters still interesting and, for the _most _part, still adding a fair share to the building of the plot?**

**3.) Are there any certain places in the chapter that seem out of place or slightly confusing? **

**4.) Does the transition between Danny and Valerie's points of view seem choppy or awkward? **

**5.) Are the characters' thoughts realistic, or too generic? Is there any way that I could improve on this? **

**6.) Is there anything you think that's missing in the relationship between Valerie and Danny? **

**7.) In all honesty, has this story maintained a certain level of interest to you? Or has it become a slight disappointment? **

**8.) Has the plot become predictable? **

_I know these questions get really annoying after so long, but they help me with every chapter that I do. So please, if you have the time, please help out a fellow author in her crusade to being "novel-worthy" by constructively critiquing._

_Thanks once again for reading, and please review!_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom._

_Wow…You know, for a chapter that I thought was kinda bad, I got bunches of reviews for it! Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement; oh, and I hope that this chapter is a little bit better than the last! This is the last of the fire! Yay!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 8**

* * *

Twenty-thousand codes.

That was what it had taken. Twenty-thousand strands of twelve-numbered digits.

_Twenty-thousand. _

And Tucker had just decoded the second to last one.

_I have to get Danny out of there. _

"How much longer will it take?" Jazz whispered anxiously, her eyes glued to the laptop screen.

Tucker glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, before returning to his work. "Hopefully not much longer."

They were in Jazz's apartment.

Having just been finally released by the petition, the trio had rushed straight back to the only safe haven they had. The on-going mission to help Danny escape was an unspoken agreement, and it was the foremost important.

Just a few minutes more, and the Containment Chamber's inner circuitry would give way. The metal encryptions would unlock.

Danny would be free.

In the meantime, Sam and Jazz watched as Tucker worked feverishly. They could almost _see_ the gears in his mind turning, his expression was so intent. The laptop screen was jumbled with computer language, something that only Tucker could actually decipher. Random pockets of JavaScript and HTML appeared on the screen as the techno-geek burned through the codes.

And then…

A cry of triumph.

"_Ha_! Let's see them hold back Danny now!"

The containment chamber gave way to Tucker's various commands. The Spectral Energy Generator's internal clockwork shut down.

The computer blinked with the words _access granted. _

And with that, a signature, cocky smile rose on Tucker's face; an expression that hadn't appeared for over two years. Sam, despite her rather callous personality, bit her lip to keep from crying. But a small, hopeful smile had arisen to light up her features. Her rough hands clenched to rein in her tears.

She couldn't believe it.

Jazz broke down crying, and had instantly wrapped her arms around Tucker, who, in return, held her just as tightly.

_Oh my God…_

But that triumph was short lived. Jazz had still left the TV on, and an urgent news update was flashing on the screen.

It wasn't until Ghostey pawed at Jazz's foot that she noticed.

She broke away from Tucker. "Hey, Ghostey!" the college student cried out happily. She scooped up the small dog in her arms and hugged it tightly. "You'll never believe this! We-"

But Ghostey interrupted before Jazz could speak another word. The dog barked haphazardly, refusing to stop. She jumped out of Jazz's arms and landed on the floor.

"Ghostey? Wha-what's going on?" Jazz's confused, startled voice rose above the barking. "What are you-? Hey, quit that!"

The white dog bit at her pant leg, jerking it away from her. _Follow me! _she seemed to say. Her little paws dug into the carpet, trying to move Jazz from her spot. But weighing only eight pounds, Ghostey had no chance. It would have been comical, if the dog had just been playing. But something in Ghostey's movements spoke of a hidden panic.

Finally, Jazz seemed to get the idea. "Alright, alright!" she gave in, slightly annoyed. "What do you want?" Torn between confusion, excitement, and frustration, she just stared down at Ghostey. For all of the noise, Jazz almost expected her brother to traipse through the front door.

But, no. At her master's consent, Ghostey made a beeline straight to the TV, and began barking once more. She stuck her wet nose on the screen, leaving a little imprint on the TV.

"Ghostey," Jazz stated, somewhat annoyed, "why are you making such a fuss…over…" And suddenly, her voice trailed off.

Her eyes widened, and locked onto the screen.

Jazz gulped, and for once, words failed her.

_Oh. _

Behind her, Sam's jaw dropped; the laptop slipped out of Tucker's hands and clattered to the floor.

"-firefighters ordering an immediate evacuation of the premises. The search for Valerie Gray, Amity Park's own Red Hunter, has been terminated as of fifteen minutes ago. Scientists on the scene are denying even the possible survival of _Danny Phantom_, folks. The CGIA has gotten-"

"…I'm going," Jazz whispered over the TV. Her voice, despite its quietness, was clear, and it rang with fatal determination.

She was going to see her brother alive, _God dammit. _If it was the last thing she ever did…

And with that, no other words of explanation needed to be said. Sam instantly jumped up from her comfortable position on the couch, Tucker just a millisecond behind her.

"I'm going with you," Sam announced quietly. Her tone held just as much intensity as Jazz's, perhaps even more. A fierce will-power burned from her, and it radiated to everything in that room.

Tucker nodded. "Count me in too."

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

It was useless.

Valerie had tried everything in her power to free him, but it wasn't enough.

It was just utterly useless.

"I…I can't…" Her voice was hoarse, torn with emotion, and so soft that Danny barely heard it. "I can't disable it…"

Phantom's heart sank. "Oh…"

A silence fell between them. They listened to the fire around them, harshly coughing. Danny leaned his forehead against the glass, beads of sweat falling from his temples. In comparison to the air, the glass was ice cold and even that small relief felt like a blessing.

Still, his heart and his mind felt like anything _but_ a blessing. He clutched the bruised skin over his heart, grimacing and shaking. He swallowed back blood. The strangest pains were coming from his chest, and it was kinda like a…

"-Phantom!" came Valerie's voice. He turned his face, leaning his pale cheek against the glass.

"Yeah?" he replied carelessly, momentarily disregarding his injuries. Then his eyes widened.

_No way…_

The generator was sparking. Literally. And it wasn't from the fire. He had only seen the generator do that once, and that was when the Lady Scientist had attempted to shut it down.

A spark back lashed up the wires. Danny jolted in surprise, and he involuntarily sucked in a breath as his arm suddenly tingled.

The electric shock felt…_good. _

The pain he felt in his chest dampened just the slightest amount, and the dots in his vision lightened a little, but it was enough.

Behind him, the Red Hunter was anything but satisfied. "What's this damn thing _doing_?" Valerie said, panicked. She stumbled backwards when a strange, almost sad whine decompressed from the cables.

Danny flexed his right hand, feeling the different, yet familiar feeling of energy flowing into him. "I-I think it's shutting down," he managed to stutter out in surprise. "But how?"

Valerie's jaw dropped. "Say what?" she cracked in surprise. "B-but, but I couldn't _do_ anything! How is it shutting down?"

…_**Did**__ I manage to shut it down?_

For a quick second, she wasn't sure if she should have been happy or scared. But then, when she saw Danny's face, all fear was washed away.

For the first time ever, she saw him smiling. And not just a fake smile, or a weak one. It was a genuine smile; pure and completely _genuine_. It glowed on his face as brightly as the wires connected to his arm, which were currently transferring back his energy.

She stared.

_Wow..._

Within the cell, Phantom was glowing. But it was not just his usual, white halo. He was glowing with _ectoplasm. _It coursed up his arm and through his veins, spinning his shock white hair with invisible wind. His body drank up the ectoplasm like water.

The wires that were connected to his shoulders and torso dropped. They fell softly to the floor of the cell, collecting at Danny's feet.

He stood there, staring at his hand, unbelieving.

The initial feeling had worn down, but the shock remained. The wires in his arms, the three that glowed, sparked a bit, and he winced.

It was almost _too_ much.

Having been starved of it all for over two years, the sudden build-up of ectoplasm made his nerves scream in a rather painful whimper.

But the sparks became fewer and farther between; the back lashed energy lessened in both amount and power.

Apparently, the generator had already used over half of Danny's original power. Which, at the moment, was both a curse and a blessing.

The generator whirled to a quiet whine. And then the cables sunk and fell lifelessly to the tiles. The blinking lights on the Spectral Energy Deactivator surged with a last attempt to live.

Then the entire generator breathed its last. And then, its metal plates sighed, sagging on the tall frame.

Valerie blinked, and so did Danny. Now that it wasn't in use, the SED wasn't quite as intimidating. It didn't seem so…dangerous, nor as evil.

Rather, it looked more like an oversized battery.

Which was seconds away from catching on fire.

Feeling the lick of a flame against her shoulder, Valerie jumped away from the generator, and quickly noticed something. The fire had spread to the last half of the room.

Her teal eyes darted back to Phantom. And, with a start, she realized he was fighting a battle of his own.

He was still stuck in the cell.

Phantom's green eyes flickered up to meet her's. _Do you trust me? _his gaze asked.

_Yes, _her own glance replied.

He placed his gloved hands against the cell, wincing when it shocked him. It hadn't done that when he was ectoplasmically drained. His emerald eyes narrowed in concentration, and pools of energy flowed from his palms. _Come on…_

Valerie shivered at the sight, unable to forget how much power Phantom wielded.

Then, the entire cell glowed a bright green, Phantom just a shadow within.

Time, fickle as it was, slowed to a dying heartbeat.

Suddenly, the glass shattered. It rang throughout the room like a hollow scream, a dangerous declaration of freedom.

And the Red Hunter flinched, flinging her arms up to cover her face, but nothing came. The onslaught of glass she expected to fly everywhere never slashed into her, never pierced her skin.

Hesitantly, she peeped open one eye.

Phantom stood in the center of his cell, pale and shaking from the exertion, but proud nonetheless.

The entire front side of the glass was gone, destroyed by Phantom's power. And whatever spectral barrier that had kept Phantom there was gone too.

She lowered her arms and breathed a sigh of relief. _Well__**, that **__was a bit anticlimactic, _she thought ironically.

But Valerie instantly knew something was wrong. Phantom looked…different. Like the generator had gone back into reverse once more and had re-sucked out his energy.

Or, maybe it was because she could see the scars that the wires had hidden. "Hey, are you okay?" she called to him.

The ghost coughed in his hand, and then used the remaining side of his glass cell as a rail. And as he slowly stepped out of it, he tried to hide the ecto-blood that was spattered on his glove. "I'm fine!" he called back, his voice caught between victory and defeat. Either way, it shook in a way that worried him.

But what he saw worried him even more. He coughed again, distantly concluding that the fire had been much easier to bear when the glass had shielded its heat. Had it always been this hot?

_Ugh, how does Valerie __**stand**__ this? _The smoke was blacker too, thick and lung-coating. Apparently, even the dying filters on the cell had somewhat protected him, 'cause he sure as hell wasn't expecting it to be any worse.

But there was more to worry about than just himself. Like, for example, the roof. Which was currently creaking and splintering above them.

Danny looked up, and winced. They didn't have much time. Then, he looked down and around, grimacing as his muscles protested the movement.

They had even _less_ time before the fire reached them both.

He looked behind him. "Hurry up!" Phantom yelled to Valerie. "We've got to get moving!" The flames had spread onto the floor, and stood as tall as Danny's waist. He leaned against the clear glass of his once-cell, unable to hold himself up. Shallow, harsh gasps escaped his lips. A few times, his gloves even slipped against the glass.

_I'm so tired…_

Was it too much of a request for a moment's peace? Good grief, he couldn't even _fly_!

His lungs screamed for air, and his skin felt like melting off of his bones. A few of his wounds stung from the poisoned air, for it clawed at his nerves, and raked up his spine. Danny hissed in pain, desperately digging his fingers into the glass to remain standing. _I got to get out of here. _

But then, a sharp painful cry filled his ears. He jerked his head up, eyes wide, and instantly locked on Valerie. She was panicked, squeezing as close as she could to the generator.

Flames surrounded her.

Her wide and frightened eyes caught the gaze of his.

She was trapped by the fire. And she couldn't get out.

The flames swallowed her.

_**Valerie!**_

Danny lost all connection with reality. He didn't know exactly how it happened, or exactly _when_ it happened. It just…happened.

The entirety of his mind screamed. _Save her! _He was so sick of pain, of death. He didn't care that it was Valerie who had captured him; it didn't matter anymore. The deal was done, already gone.

_Save her! _

He'd forgiven her. And he knew she didn't deserve to die. The heroic side of his mind would never let him think otherwise.

_**Save her! **_

Energy welled up inside of his chest. Instinctively, he held out his right hand in front of him. Blue, icy power poured into the air from his scarred fingertips and stormed through the smoke, shearing across the room.

Valerie barely had time to blink before it was over.

The wispy surge wrapped around the fire by Valerie, and crystallized the flames. In the next instant, the hot flames morphed into solid ice. It simultaneously began melting into a puddle.

Too stunned for words, the Red Hunter stood, silent.

One instant, she was surrounded by the fire, and the next, she was encompassed by the comforting cool of ice.

She couldn't believe it. But her eyes didn't lie; there was no way to deny it.

Her shell shocked expression betrayed her emotions, and her heart pumped wildly in her chest from the adrenaline. _P-phantom…just…He just…_

"You s-saved me," she whispered in disbelief. Her eyes caught his own surprised gaze. "I can't believe that…"

_My worst enemy just __**saved**__ me. But…_

"Why?" Valerie asked softly. Her voice, slightly hoarse from the smoke, carried unsteadily.

But Phantom merely gave her a weak smile. "Why not?" he countered her question. He looked down at his hand, almost in awe. _How did I do that without an energy build-up? _

He looked back up at Valerie with a questioning glance of his own, and she was tempted to ask why he looked so…_surprised. _

Yet the fire forced Valerie to forget about demanding a better reply. Instead, she barreled out of its way, slowly moving back to Phantom.

His ice powers had temporarily neutralized all of the flames, but it hadn't lasted long. Already, Valerie was forced to stray from the path, twisting and turning away from fiery tendrils.

A few times she even slipped on the hard tiles, and sent wooden shards sprawling. She coughed constantly now, trying to clear her lungs. Tears streamed down her ash-covered cheeks, and scratches all over her limbs bled. Her vision blurred, un-focusing Phantom ahead, and the smoke was getting so bad…

…She lost sight of him in the smoke.

Panic grabbed her.

* * *

Danny was forced to decide on a course of action. It was true that the generator had (luckily) back-lashed him some of his energy. But it was also true that destroying the cell's barrier had diminished that small gain. It was also true that he could barely hold himself up.

And it was also true that if he didn't do anything soon, both himself _and_ Valerie were going to die.

Either way, it left Danny hanging in the balance. To save them both and risk dying from overusing his energy, or saving himself and waking up every morning with Valerie's death on his conscience; those were his choices.

Every inch of him was screaming, _dying, _for just one moment of rest. Just a second to build up some energy, to catch his breath.

But he didn't have even one second to lose.

Something welled up from deep within him. It was a tantalizing, teasing tendril of hope, of energy. He was scared, and he knew it. He was terrified, and he knew it.

But that was a good thing. Fear could bring people through the worst of situations, whether they realized it or not. And Danny knew exactly what fear's ultimate weapon was.

It was an adrenaline rush; fight or flight. And he was gonna use that flicker of energy, no matter what the consequences would be later. He couldn't afford to second guess himself.

No matter if he risked death, he had to help. He was already half-dead as it was.

He made his decision.

_I've got to save Valerie. I've got to __**live.**_

Without thinking anymore about it, Danny shot up into the air and flew like a bullet through the flames. Then, he grabbed Valerie by the waist and pulled her to him. She squeaked in surprise, and instinctively began to fight against his hold.

"What the hell are you doing?" She yelled over the collapsing roof.

Danny only had time to give her one meaningful look. "Just trust me!" he yelled back.

She saw the flicker of pleading in his green eyes.

But she didn't answer him. She muscles tensed, and her arms shook as she wrapped them around Phantom. She was scared.

And as she looked up at Phantom, she suddenly realized that he was scared too.

She didn't think about the thought that she was holding onto her arch enemy for dear life. She didn't think about the ghostly coldness Phantom's body emanated, or how said coldness felt like relief in comparison to the fire's heat. She didn't think about the immense pain shooting from her burnt hand.

All she could think about, all she could see, all she could _hear_, was the tell-tale signs of a collapsing roof. Wooden foundations dislodged from the ceiling, slamming haphazardly onto the broken tiles below.

A metal beam fell from its place and crashed to the floor, crushing Phantom's cell; where they had just been not but a moment ago.

Suddenly, a strange, cold feeling overwhelmed her being. In the blink of an eye, she felt herself become intangible.

And then, the roof collapsed.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

_Hello, everybody! Finally, for once, I can say that I updated on time! YAY:) Although, I still feel a little shaky with this story right now, considering a few things. Speaking of which, those "few things" have spawned new interrogation questions!_

**1.) I realize that the plot is dragging in some places. Without losing suspense or large amounts of detail, how can I create a steady stream of action? **

**2.) Is there anything that seems to be missing? **

**3.) How can I improve the transition between Jazz's scene and Danny's? **

**4.) Any advice you'd be willing to pass along for a struggling author:)**

**5.) What are my writing weaknesses?**

**6.) Are there any people you feel should be included in the story? Or do you feel that I have too many people interacting as it is? **

**7.) Random question time! Yay! Okay, if you could hear Danny singing, how do you think he would sound:) Sorry, I'm just curious to know what everyone else thinks...I'm bored now..**

_If you can answer these, I would greatly appreciate it. :) Seriously, I feel like I've made some actual progress ever since I joined Fanfiction, and I have my wonderful reviewers to thank!_

_Anyways, thanks for reading my stories and being so supportive,_

_Lightning Streak_

_Updated on: Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 8:00 P.M._

_**Oh, and: Please review:)**_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own DP.

…191 reviews? I'm amazed. Seriously, I really am. Thank you all so, so much for everything!

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 9**

* * *

Metal and wood beams fell all around them. Stray fire swiveled through the air, chasing the falling roof. In wonder, Valerie looked up with wide eyes. _Whoa…_

She'd never seen destruction like this before. Nor had she seen it from this view.

She shivered when a heavy beam slammed to the ground _through_ her. The feeling tingled all her nerves, as if she had sky-dived from space, and the hair on the nape of her neck stood on end. Flames tore down her body, but never once scorched her. "I can't believe this," she whispered. _I…I just…_

_…Am I really alive? _She blinked, and for one wild moment, she expected to see herself on the set of "The Twilight Zone." Her heart danced madly at the strange thought.

But then Valerie looked back up at Phantom. Something was wrong.

"I…I can't keep this up…" His voice was hoarse and dry, as if he hadn't drank water in weeks, and his eyes were wide with fear. _I'm losing too much energy again. _

Something from within him snapped. _Dammit…!_

And for a split second, their intangibility flickered away. Then, it sprang back, just before a beam fell through them. Phantom forced himself to exert more power, and Valerie's arms tightened around him in uncertainty. "Sorry," Phantom apologized. With a grimace, he kept all power and concentration on staying intangible.

"Phantom, what's going on?" The quiet demand in her voice struck a chord through the noise.

Twenty seconds had passed.

Danny craned his neck to glance at her. Although he wished he could, the ghost couldn't hide his fear. "I can't fly us out of here. I…I don't have enough energy…"

_My luck sucks, doesn't it? _

Valerie had moved so that Danny could use her as a crutch, and the ghost found himself leaning heavily on her support. "Thanks," he panted out. His skin, bruised and pale, was more clammy, more ashen than before. (Which, personally, Valerie found odd. Especially considering Phantom was a ghost.)

"Just get us out of here!" Valerie shot back, unwilling to admit her worries. Danny's hands shook from exhaustion, and his breathing was erratic at best. The intangible aura around them pulsed in time with his uneven heart beat.

It scared them both. For, if their intangibility was to disappear, they would die. For real.

And Danny knew that it would happen. "B-but I c-can't…" A rush of ecto-blood agonizingly swirled up his throat, and he froze, eyes wide. It took every ounce of concentration not to panic, not to drop their intangibility.

But he could feel himself falling away, deeper into his own mind. He knew that it wasn't a good sign. He couldn't even feel Valerie's hand around his arm. And so, he forced himself to make the hardest decision of his life.

Sixty seconds had passed.

He knew he was dying; it wouldn't surprise him if he were already _dead, _and his ghost was merely fading away. He was losing too much power way too fast. Danny knew that if he tried to save himself, then Valerie would die also.

And more life would be wasted.

_I guess then…I'm staying behind. _

_It's the only way. _

A sort of acceptance washed over him. His own selfishness tried to fight the truth, but Danny knew what he had to do. He promised he'd get Valerie out of there, and _dammit_, that's _just_ what he was gonna do. A small spark of determination filled his green gaze, and for a second, he felt a flicker of life within him.

"I can't save us, Val," he whispered softly, and then took in a shuddering breath. "… But I can save _you_."

Valerie's head snapped up in surprise. "_What?_" Their intangibility flickered again. She looked up into Phantom's pained green eyes, and she saw something she had never seen before.

Defeat.

"Just trust me," Danny grounded out with a grimace. Time was running out, and so was his patience. "The plans have changed."

Valerie, despite her circumstances, still couldn't just trust him. "What 'plans have changed?' Just get us out of here!"

_What's so hard about that? _

Still, Danny gave her a dark look. "Valerie, I _can't._" His expression turned more desperate, and the dark look faded into something more akin to worry. "I can't save both you and me."

His eyes shifted around the collapsing room. _I'm just wasting time. _And he knew he didn't have much left. Before Valerie could demand more answers, Danny cut in.

"But why-"

"-I _can't_ stay intangible much longer! If I do, I'll waste everything just trying _walk_ us out of here. I know we won't make it out. I can't save us both." His intense stare bore straight through her. "It's either you or me."

_And you know who I'm gonna choose. _

Suddenly, time spun faster.

Only two minutes had passed since they'd gone intangible. The building's falling roof strained on the second story's supports. The upper level had yet to collapse, but it wouldn't take long.

Valerie's heart skipped a beat. "B-but can't you fly us out of here?" For the first time ever, she was _concerned _for Phantom. If he stayed behind…

…He would fade into oblivion, and Valerie knew it.

"Val I'm a _ghost_. I'm dead already." Despite his level gaze, Phantom couldn't hide how his powers were hurting him. "Please; just _trust _me."

Two minutes and twenty seconds.

The Red Hunter searched Phantom's eyes.

Nothing but honesty.

"W-will…" She hesitated for words, "will you be…okay?"

"I'll be fine!" Danny rushed out his words with, what he hoped to be, a confident smile. Valerie's expression twisted into suspicion, but she didn't call his bluff.

Then, she said without thinking, "If you die, I'll _never_ forgive you."

Two minutes and forty seconds.

The foundation of the building swayed. It was beginning to cave in. The walls were falling, splintering, giving way to the fire.

And suddenly those two minutes and forty seconds felt like a time warp. What was the difference between second and minute? Minute and hour?

Only two hours had passed since the ordeal began.

Danny forced himself to breathe in the invisible air around him. Somewhere from within, he felt the end of his power. But it was enough. That last strand of humanity.

He unleashed it.

Without warning, he set his shaking hands on Valerie's shoulders and began to glow. "This won't hurt," he whispered. "I promise."

Three minutes.

_Please work…_

Pure white energy stranded from his fingertips and tore down Valerie's shoulders. She flinched instinctively, and for one wild moment, fear filled her. Her eyes, wild and wide, squeezed shut. _Ohmigod, I'm gonna die…!_

Three minutes and five seconds.

She clenched her fists as the power raged through her, and her fingers brushed against her suit's belt. And there, hanging off a holster, was a weapon. A new one too; small and compact, fit for close range.

Then she remembered what it was for.

A thought suddenly hit her. "Phantom?" Her voice echoed strangely from the power, and she wasn't sure why. Phantom tiredly opened his eyes, and the amount of energy she felt leveled off.

"Yeah?"

She forced herself to forget about her strange voice, and she held his gaze level. "Do you trust me?" And at that, Phantom hesitated like he was weighing her words. But then he nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but why?"

Valerie didn't answer his questions, and instead, she seemed to switch subjects. She had her answer; she knew what to do. "So how do I get out of here without you?" Her voice still sounded strange, and she felt cold.

Phantom gave her a curious look, but didn't question Valerie. "My power will do everything; just don't fight it." The distant sound of fire masked his exhausted voice, and suddenly, he let go of her.

In that instant, everything changed. His power, his intangibility, pulsed from within her, and she couldn't fight it. She felt her body move backwards on its own accord, and the form of Phantom flickered like a blur in her vision. _God,_ Valerie prayed, heart pounding, _I hope I'm doing the right thing..._

Three minutes and forty seconds.

Without hesitation, she executed her plan. _Please, let this work…_She had to help him, repay him somehow. And there was only one way to do it. The ghost's own intangibility shorted around him. She grabbed her weapon, and no further thoughts entered her mind.

She pulled the trigger.

_"Phantom, do you trust me?" _

Danny never expected it; he couldn't escape its path. He feinted to the side, but the glowing blast tore through his stomach, pitching him backwards. His spine slammed into something metal, where he lost all intangibility.

A strangled cry tore from his throat as fire shot up his back, and he desperately tried to escape. In a last ditch effort save himself, he unleashed a barrier. Danny sunk to the floor on his knees, his palms digging into the charred tile.

Suddenly, nothing made sense to him.

His wide, disbelieving eyes met hers.

* * *

Meanwhile, Valerie could no longer fight against Phantom's power, nor did she have the will power to even face him. She lowered her weapon, teal eyes unreadable. _It's for your own good, Phantom. _

And suddenly, she felt herself surrender. The intangible dimension blurred as she was thrown backwards, through the fire, through the smoke, through the walls of the CGIA.

_Did I do the right thing? _

Her vision grew dark, and she felt dizzy. Her injuries burned and twisted her nerves, but she couldn't feel them. Her hand, cracked and bleeding, was heavy to lift. Everything just felt so…

…_tired. _

The weapon loosened in her grip, and she just managed to hold onto it. The blurs spun faster and faster, warping and furling around her.

And then, _salvation. _

She couldn't remember exactly when she found herself outside, but she did. Sweet, precious air stampeded her lungs once she fell through the last wall. Phantom's power flickered around her, and then it was gone.

Two hundred feet away, Valerie found herself lying on the grass, drinking up the air like a gaping fish and coughing like a smoker with influenza. _Wh-wha...what **was** that? _She couldn't move her limbs at all. She couldn't tell if she was just in shock, or if she was tried to wrap her fingers around the weapon in her hand, but found that she couldn't.

Valerie, however, decided it didn't matter. The spectral sensors in her suit relayed that Danny Phantom was no longer in the vicinity. And with that realization, the Red Hunter felt the weight of the world fall on her shoulders.

_"Do you trust me?"_

She hadn't known the device would hurt him. Given its name, she thought it would _help. _

* * *

A muffled cry resounded off the walls as another steel beam beat down on his barrier. Every hit his barrier took, his energy took also. Phantom's entire body panged with agonizing bolts.

The building's second story was falling to the first.

And through it all, tears of hurt and anger streaked his face. His right hand covered his stomach, a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding from his wound. _Why? _His numbed nerves tingled, as if expected more to come. He had fallen to his hands and knees, and he found he could no longer hold himself up. All strength in his arms gave way, and he roughly fell to the floor, his shoulder jamming upwards.

He was just so _tired_, all he could feel was the pain. He was numb with it. But his heart wasn't.

…_Why did Valerie __**shoot**__ me?_

The ghost couldn't believe it. He just couldn't. _Why?_ Anger swelled in his heart, and for a second, he felt an untamed fury reawaken. For a second, he wanted to give in, to let his anger have the best of him. To _kill_.

His lips curled back in an animalistic growl, and ecto-blood strained through his teeth. His broken hands curled around his torso, as if an attempt to protect himself.

The barrier pulsed wildly.

_She shot me… _The blast was foreign, not made from his own ectoplasmic signature. But what did that mean? Why would she not use GIW weaponry?

He didn't even have to look at his stomach to know looked bad. His blood, bright and green, was trailing through his hands like sand. His muscles spasmed. His vision was shorting, and Phantom found that he couldn't breathe. Blood filled his lungs.

_She tried to __**kill**__ me…_

And, like sand in an hourglass, Danny knew his time had run out.

_...I guess she won. _

He didn't understand the coldness, but he tried to fight against it. It was a strange pulse from within, something that he could feel leeching towards his heart. He gripped the skin over his heart, suddenly choking on the sensation. _Oh man..!_

_Th-that blast… _He felt like he was being torn in two. _What was that?_

He had nearly died twice in his lifetime, but neither time had quite felt like this.

A freezing cold sunk its fangs into Danny's heart, and suddenly he couldn't feel anything at all. Whatever the blast was, it wrapped its self around his insides, coating his veins. He could no longer fight. Everything fell around him, and even _on_ him, but he couldn't feel it anymore.

He was being buried alive. _So this is what it feels like, to die. _

The anger he felt suddenly felt dampened, as if it no longer mattered, and an unbearable sadness settled in his mind. His hand curled over Sam's ring.

_Sam..._

His eyes widened, and through his emotions, he suddenly remembered that name. _Oh God, **Sam**. _One last tear leaked from his sad eyes._ I'm sorry..._ With the last of his energy, he pulled the ring closer to his heart.

_I'm so sorry. _

And as Danny's ghostly glow flickered for the last time, the blast's effects swept into his mind.

_I…I don't want to die…!_

But he couldn't stop it.

Coldness completely took over, misting over his brilliant eyes. His body froze; the tear tracks on his face solidified as well.

And with that, it began to rain.

* * *

Distantly, the Red Hunter heard, "Uh…Sir? You're not gonna believe this, but…I found Valerie Gray." She lost consciousness after that, surrendering to her injuries.

Rain drops splashed her burnt shoulder.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o._

* * *

_Well, I hope this chapter wasn't too confusing…(shifty eyes.) I had a hard time writing it, and it was unfortunately a necessary evil, so I couldn't just cut it out. It was really tough because I know I've wasted the "fire" suspense, and I knew I couldn't drag the scene out for too long. So, I hope for what it's worth that you all liked it at least. :)_

**1.) Was my general flow of words okay? **

**2.) Did the scene keep your attention all the way through? **

**3.) Is this story finally coming around the bend as far as action goes, or is it still kinda stagnant in the scenes? **

_Thus concludes chapter nine of chained. I'm sorry I took forever (again) writing it, but I hope you enjoyed reading it! I promise I won't take so long updating next time! _

_**Anyways, please review! I'd really love to hear any feedback! **_

_Thanks for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

_Updated: Friday, November 23, 2007 at 5:08 __P.M._


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP._

_(Has a heart attack) …Over 200 reviews? (Falls) Oh my gosh, thank you all so much! (squee!) I swear, I read each and every review at least twice! Thank you for the support and enthusiasm for this story! (currently unable to stop smiling.)_

_Hope you like chapter 10!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Maddie Fenton couldn't sleep.

She had tried sleeping, but it was just too early. The symbols "10:15 P.M." stared back at her unfeelingly, and they did nothing to calm her thoughts.

So Maddie sighed. She pushed back the thick comforter and sat up in bed, stretching restless muscles. _Maybe I just need to walk around a bit. _She ran a hand through her tangled hair, and looked over at her husband. Jack was sleeping soundly at her side, clutching a teddy bear. He didn't seem troubled, nor was he restless; which was the exact opposite of Maddie.

The woman sighed, envying her husband. Jack never had problems with sleep, even despite his troubled days.

And so with that, Maddie swung her legs off the soft mattress, her feet landing on the carpet. She moved quietly, so as not to wake Jack, and she slipped out of the room much like the ghosts she hunted.

She carefully shut the door with a _click_, and took a deep breath. _Maybe a cup of coffee would be good_, she thought. She trudged down the dark hall of her home, but then she stopped in front of a door.

Her heart suddenly lurched in her chest, and her thoughts misted over in distant memory. _Danny… _She hesitated a bit longer in front of the door, but then forced herself to move onwards.

Maddie's mind, however, was still firmly planted in the past.

How long had it been, since she had last seen her son?

How long since she had heard his voice? Since she had scolded him for staying out late? Since she had the chance to tease him about Sam?

Familiar tears stung the back of her eyes as she reminisced. A sad smile graced her tired features, and for a minute, she closed her eyes and pretended that nothing was wrong.

But it didn't last long. It never did.

Maddie tried to shake herself from the mental block she found her mind in, and she sighed. Like a defeated soldier, her broken steps slowly made their way down the stairs. She rubbed her arms, shivering a bit in the unfeeling coldness.

And whether she meant to or not, her troubled mind led her to the lab.

Glowing dark and green, the Ghost Zone portal was opened. It swirled with loneliness; something that Maddie had just noticed lately. Had it always been like that?

The Zone was strange, an answer without a question. Maddie knew the exact calculations of its formation, but once it came to life, it was something entirely different. Something…_alive_ in its most complex definition.

She gave it one last look, and then began to wander aimlessly around the lab.

Technically speaking, Maddie didn't aimlessly wander. Her steps were determined in a round-about way, perhaps uncertainly. Something had been bothering her, and it had been bothering her for nights on end…

Eventually, she sighed and gave in. She turned around to look at the opposite end of the lab. There was a table there, and on the table was the pinpoint of her anxiety.

It was a weapon, akin to a gun. Maddie merely glanced at it before turning away, but something within her said to look again. Perhaps it was the core energizer that drew her back, or maybe it was the weapon's history.

Either way, she felt drawn to it. Maddie gingerly picked up the weapon in her hands, expertly inspecting every inch.

_The Fenton Specter Shredder. _

At the memory of its christening, Maddie couldn't help but roll her eyes and smile. Jack always chose strange names for their weapons. She supposed it just came with the territory. But the weapon itself was a failure. Originally meant to 'shred' a ghost by depleting its ectoplasm levels, Jack and Maddie found that it did the exact opposite.

Rather, it functioned as a power boost, and actually replenished a ghost's levels using its own energy.

Needless to say, the Fentons immediately deemed it a flop.

The two models of the weapon had been labeled, stashed away, and then eventually stored in their own little box, never to be seen again. Jack and Maddie wanted nothing to do with it, especially considering its effect on ghosts.

But six months ago…

…The GIW came. And they wanted it.

The Fentons weren't sure why they wanted it; and as a matter of fact, their unexpected appearance was a surprise. Especially when they broke down the front door.

But money was tight during then, with the huge bills going towards rescue missions, and with Danny missing…The GIW offered them enough money to last for years. And Maddie accepted. She didn't even ask how they found out about the failed weapon.

So Jack and Maddie created an exact copy of the Specter Shredder, handing it over. Some Guy in White explained that they needed something to keep a few of their experiments "alive."

Maddie guessed they were talking about Danny Phantom.

Either way, she supposed it didn't matter. Phantom _deserved_ whatever technique the GIW were using to get information. He was probably the one who took her son away from her. After all, Phantom did have a vendetta against the Fenton family…

An involuntary spark of anger threaded from her heart, tainting her mind. Her fists clenched, and her jaw tightened. _**Phantom. **_

Maddie knew Phantom had hurt Danny, she just _knew_ it. And some way or another, she was gonna find out for sure.

She was gonna find the truth_. _

As a ghost hunter and a mother, she had to.

She carefully set the weapon back down on the table, running her fingers once more over the crafted handle. The solid intricacy seemed to lend her comfort, even though it wasn't quite enough. Nothing could truly ruffle her feathers as badly as that _ghost _did.

She hated Danny Phantom. She hated him because he was evil, because he was obnoxious, and because he was destructive. She hated him and every fiber in his being.

She even hated his face.

Disturbingly enough, Phantom looked very similar to Danny, and that made her feel guilty, like she was actually shooting at her son. Which she knew couldn't possibly be true, but still…

Every time she looked at him, every time she confront him, Phantom reminded her of her son. Of Danny.

She hated it.

Enemies weren't supposed to do that. And for some reason, Phantom was the only one who did…

_Why is that? _

But she didn't know the answer. Instead, she opted to occupy her mind for a bit. She glanced at the TV, which had been left on by a rather forgetful Jack. It was on some news channel, and it showed the remains of a burned building. _That's strange…_

Instantly, she recognized the land around it. _The CGIA…!_

Maddie's eyes were instantly drawn to the TV, and she found herself unable to break away. She turned up the volume with a nearby remote.

"Today marked the final chapter of the CGIA," said the reporter, "ending in an apocalyptic rain of fire and panic." She motioned to the live camera on the screen, and the aerial view circled around the destroyed foundation.

"At around 8:00 this evening, an explosion from one of the Experimental Labs caught the entire sector on fire, and in time spread to the rest of the building. Valerie Gray was located shortly after the building collapsed, having sustained internal injuries. She is currently in the Intensive Care Unit at Amity General Hospital in critical condition; it is unknown when her health will be stabilized."

A popular snapshot of Amity's most controversial hero appeared. "And, according to surviving agents and back-up equipment, it has been concluded that Danny Phantom was completely destroyed in the fire."

For some reason, even the reporter hesitated on her words, as if she couldn't believe it herself. "His ectoplasmic signature was disrupted by the fire's intense heat, and scanners only found miniscule traces of his power levels."

And Maddie felt a tear roll down her cheek, although she didn't understand why.

_He's…gone…?_

She brushed the tear away with the back of her hand, shocked to discover that she was crying.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o.O.o._

* * *

It was raining so hard, but that didn't stop Sam from bolting out of the car.

Silver sheets of rain pelted her without mercy. Her hands shook, her breath hitched, and her heart stopped. _Danny…_

"Oh… my… God."

Sam's body froze at the sight, and her lips quivered in shock. Destruction had not left one inch of the CGIA untouched. Black smoke still occasionally leeched into the air, despite the rain.

She felt Tucker and Jazz's presences appear behind her, but she didn't acknowledge them. She couldn't. And they couldn't acknowledge her either; they were both too stunned.

The wind picked up, flinging sheets and sheets of rain upon its victims. A sorrowful whine echoed through the sky, as if in mourning. And for a quick moment, Sam swore that she could feel the ground shake.

But that didn't stop her either.

She instantly began running towards the decimated building, disregarding all sense of self-preservation.

_"Hey, Sammy?" he had asked her one summer morning. _

_She turned to face him, the backside of her shirt grass-stained. They were both lying on the ground, watch the clouds pass in the sky. "Yeah, Danny?" _

_The seven year old boy pointed in the air. "What do you think that one looks like?" _

_Sam scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes in scrutiny. A moment passed in pure analysis. "I think," she answered finally, "it looks like a lady bug."_

_Danny sighed and tore up more grass from the ground around him, throwing it back on Sam. She chucked it right back. "You stole my idea again…" _

_The girl grinned cheekily and nudged his shoulder. "Well, maybe you shouldn't pick easy clouds, Dan Dan." _

_He squirmed away from her and stuck out his tongue. He__** hated **__that nickname! But then, Sam hated being called Sammy, so he supposed it evened out in the end. "Fine," he mumbled curtly. He pointed to a towering cloud high in the atmosphere, right next to the sun. "What's that look like?"_

_"Easy," Sam shrugged. "It's gotta be a clock." _

_And at that, Danny threw a handful of mud at his best friend. _

She had to do something; she had to help somehow. But the world had cornered her, forced her into surrender.

Sam could only be angry for so long. After all, what good did it do? No amount of kick-ass attitude was going to bring back Danny, and she knew that.

But that didn't mean she couldn't hope. That didn't mean she could just _let_ Danny down or give up. She was going to find him, and dammit if she didn't.

A spark filled her eyes, a measure of hope.

_"Uh oh." _

_From the moment she heard that tell-tale noise of a rock hitting her window, she knew something was wrong. The eight year old ran to her window pane and opened it. She stuck her head out, rain and all. Looking down, there was a small, soaked person shivering by the bushes. _

_She knew that person. _

_"Danny?" she shouted above the distant thunder. "That you?" _

_Bright, blue eyes shone from the darkness. "Sammy?" came a pathetic whimper. "Can I come up?" _

_And without any more warning, Sam pulled down her ladder. "Duh, you can come up!" She risked a glance at the clock, and nearly winced. It was 1:00 A.M. "But you're gonna hafta be really __**really**__ quiet!"_

_As Danny climbed the ladder, Sam swore that she heard him crying. He slowly climbed, slower than usual, and he didn't even use his right arm. _

_Sam laid down a blanket on the wood floor of her bedroom so that Danny wouldn't get everything wet with his sopping clothes. He finally swung himself over the window pane, and landed rather off-balanced on the blanket. He still held his right arm to his chest. _

_"Danny?" Sam asked concernedly. "Are you okay?"_

_And at that, Danny looked back up at her, his blue eyes swimming with tears. "No," he whispered back, his lip quivering. "My arm…I-I think I hurt it." He pulled away his hand, and allowed Sam to see the damage. _

_She gasped; it hung from his side at an awkward angle, a clear sign that he'd broken it. "Oh, Danny…" Tears welled up in her own eyes, for she hated to see him in pain. "What happened?"_

_She helped him sit down on the blanket, careful not to bump his arm. "Well," he said between shuddering breaths, "I's climbing the tree out back again, and I-"_

_"Didn't your mommy tell you __**not**__ to do that?" Sam cut in with a raised eyebrow. For a moment, the boy could have sworn that Sam sounded just like his mom. _

_Danny bit his lip. "I know! But I climbed it 'nyways, and I got all the way to the top!" For a moment, his eyes glowed brightly. "I was so high up! And it was so pretty! But, but…" The glow died. "I gots stuck. I couldn't get down." He looked up at Sam, and lightning crackled outside. "So I jumped." _

_The girl's jaw dropped. "Danny!" In a flourish, she began fussing all over him, pulling the sticky bangs from his forehead and searching his eyes. "You coulda __**died**__!" _

_"I know," his lip quivered even faster, and a tear cascaded from his eyes. He looked up at her. "Sammy, my arm hurts so __**bad**__…"_

_She couldn't stand him being in pain. Without even thinking about it, Sam pulled her best friend into her arms, never minding about how wet her purple nightgown got and taking __**extreme **__caution not to bump his arm. "I'm so sorry," she cried for him, 'cause she knew that Danny didn't like to cry. And when he __**did**__…it was pretty bad. _

_"Don't worry," she whispered to him, rubbing his back. "We'll get your arm fixed…You'll get better soon, I promise!" She gave him a teary-eyed smile. _

_Danny rested his head against her shoulder, shutting his eyes tight. "I hope so," he shivered in her arms. "Can you fix it?" _

_"Yeah, but I'm gonna hafta get my parents, Danny," she told him regretfully. "My daddy's a doctor, so he can help." _

_"Okay," the boy agreed. "But only if you help him. I trust you." A small, little smile lifted his lips. "'Cause you're always so smart 'bout stuff like that." _

_And after that, Sam became his resident, little doctor and self-proclaimed shoulder to cry on. _

_Literally. _

Even in her past, she was always the one to help Danny through.

But she didn't know if she could fix things this time.

"_Danny_!" she whispered in a cry, desperately digging through the rubble and debris. Her hands were cut and burnt, but she ignored the pain. Even as her salty tears and the rain fell upon her cracked skin, she didn't wince.

All she cared about was Danny. All she worried about was her best friend, the one she loved the most. And all she could think about, was how much she had let him down that night.

Her strength was quickly wearing out.

Two large hands grabbed her by the shoulders, and she panicked. She felt herself being pulled back, "Sorry, miss," a police explained rather forcefully, "but civilians _must _stand behind the yellow tape."

"No!" Sam's cry tore raggedly through the air. Her violet eyes were wild, and she struggled against the man's grip. "I have to find him!" She pulled and pushed away from him, but to no avail.

The man, now tired of Sam, gave up arguing and literally dragged to the yellow tape. He firmly deposited her there, and the moment he let go, he had to block her from running back out.

"_Please_!" She didn't care how she got there, all she cared was that she could find Danny. "I have to save him!"

_I have to!_

But no one heard her cry, and no one cared.

Not even Jazz or Tucker could hear her, for they had been detained by police as well.

_"Sammy, my arm hurts so __**bad**__…"_

And slowly, Sam found herself giving up hope.

_Please…_

_Please still be okay, Danny..._

* * *

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.

* * *

Deep within the rubble of the CGIA, a body was frozen in time. Wisps of ectoplasmic energy slowly swirled around the figure, soft and flickering. A metal beam was thrust through the body's shoulder.

The ghost's eyes were dull and misted, as if he had given up hope. Streams of ectoplasm lazily trailed from the wounds, as if he had been defeated.

But both assumptions were questionable.

As seconds passed, the aura around him grew more powerful. The ectoplasm banded together around the figure, and the glow became brighter. Faster and faster it swirled around the body, sparking lights and color.

_Ugh…_

The wound torn through his stomach, deep and jagged, had once been his downfall. Now, it was his salvation. Spilled ectoplasm reversed its trails, slowly sinking beneath the ghost's skin and lighting his veins with liquid fire. It broke down the metal jammed through the bones in his shoulder.

It was sparking and brilliant, entrancing in its appearance. The glow reached his eyes, reanimating them. And for a second, a dead heart beat.

But the life-saving blast had been a weak one. It was just enough, nothing more, for it had been fired on the weakest level.

He was going to have to fight to keep his existence.

* * *

A figure, silver and black, slowly dug itself out of the rubble. Ectoplasmic-stained fingers strained to hold onto the debris, and they constantly slipped. But something that the ghost didn't understand kept him going, kept him moving.

His newfound energy was already so spent, so fragile. But this time, his will _wasn't._

* * *

And somewhere within Amity West Hospital, Valerie slept on, computers beeping in time with her heart.

A GIW Specter Saver, ash covered and beaten, laid on the table beside her.

* * *

_**o.O.o.O.o.O.o.**_

* * *

_Wow…So I totally just typed up seven pages of this just today…Cool:) _

_Anyways, I hope you liked it. I tried to humanize Sam a bit, since people were saying that she seemed "detached" and really not a major part of the plot. I even tried to add in Maddie, because many people were wondering about her and her situation. So, yeah…I hope I didn't disappoint! _

_But on that note, this chappie was seriously hard to write. __J__ I've never been too good with aftermath stuff, so maybe that's why I try to drag out the action as long as I can. _

_Song Inspiration for this chapter: Nights in White Satin by Chad Smith. _

**1.) How was the transition between scenes? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) What have I improved upon in my writing? What are my weaknesses? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add? **

_If you can answer any of these, I'll definitely appreciate it! __J__ All of my reviews and constructive criticism has really kept me going through the trials of my life and of my Writer's Block. So thank you all very much once more for reading and supporting me! _

_Lightning Streak _

**Please Review! **


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP._

_Yay! Thanks a bunch for the reviews! I woke up on Saturday, checked my email, and I could not believe how much constructive criticism and feedback I got:) You all seriously made my day (again!)_

_Chapter started: Saturday, February 16, 2008_

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 11**

* * *

"This isn't good," came a voice in the darkness. Its owner sighed. "This isn't good at all."

The wizened old ghost then proceeded to shut off the screen, heavily leaning up against the console. He had abandoned his staff on a shelf to his right, where clocks slowly ticked away the time.

"Things are not as they should be," he whispered to himself, as if puzzled. "But why?" _Where did it go wrong? _

Clockwork supposed everything had changed once Valerie pulled the trigger of the Specter Saver. He had known it was a choice, but the ghost never guessed that she would take it.

After that, Clockwork figured Danny's fate could follow two paths. Path one: Danny died. The blast from the gun wasn't strong enough to heal his fatal injuries. Perhaps there was room for an afterlife, but the basis meant the end of Danny Fenton. Personally, Clockwork hated the first path.

But perhaps that was a matter of opinion.

Path two: Danny lived. There were many factors that went with this path, all of which were interwoven and extravagant. One factor was that Valerie's blast from the gun was strong and certain.

In path two, it was absolution that Valerie had saved Danny's life.

But there was another path that had been unaccounted for in Clockwork's mind, something that had never even existed, nor _should _it have existed; the infamous and hidden door number three. He never expected it. He never saw it in the fabrics of time.

It was just suddenly _there. _

In path three, there was a mixture of the first and second. There were loose ends, there were uncertain circumstances. Danny's life hung within the balance, easily swayed either way. Within the next twenty-four hours, he could live or he could die.

And Clockwork's staff was strangely blind to its outcome.

Morphing forward to his elderly form, the ghost found he didn't have the energy to hold up his head. He looked down at the maze-like floor, and his red eyes shut tightly.

Time had chosen the third path.

_This isn't good…not at all. _A weary, time-worn cloak swirled around his form as he walked farther into his lair. _The Observers will not be happy._

As he rounded a corner, one such Observer materialized from the shadows. "Clockwork," he addressed him.

The elder ghost brushed the Observer aside and continued pacing forward.

But the one-eyed ghost followed him. "Clockwork," he persisted, his tenor voice bouncing off the walls. "I must speak with you."

With a growl, Clockwork wheeled around, defiantly staring his colleague down. He reverted back into his adult form, his height and broad shoulders blocking the light. "What do you want?" he snapped, unable to contain his irritation.

"I need to know something," the Observer replied gravely, seemingly unafraid of the more powerful ghost. He motioned to the screen through which he saw Time pass. "I have been monitoring your charge, Danny Phantom, and it seems that his future is once more in jeopardy." He hesitated on his next words, but he nevertheless forced them out. "Tell me," he struggled for words, "is…I mean to say…" He paused rather delicately. "Is it true that Phantom will die?"

A pin could have dropped at that moment, and it would have sounded like the atomic bomb.

"I'm not obligated to reveal such information to you," Clockwork said emotionlessly. His red eyes darkened a bit in annoyance. "Now leave me be."

At that, the Observer backed off, raising his hands in surrender. "_Please, _Clockwork. According to the council, I'm assigned to supervise your actions, and I intend to carry out that order." He dropped his hands, and eyed the ghost. "I realize that you feel obligation towards your _charge_, but hear me when I say 'don't do anything stupid.'"

The Observer's comments made him rather short-tempered. _Too late_, Clockwork wanted to retaliate. Or maybe, _It __**will**__ be too late, soon enough. _"I cannot stay here and allow my charge to die," he admitted softly, clenching a handful of his cloak within his strong hand. "To do so would be abandonment."

"But you also can't abandon your duties."

The ghost of Time was tired of the Observer. He snarled back, "I know that." And as if distracted, he whispered tiredly, "I know that…"

His heart, dead though it was, could still feel pain. And at that moment, Clockwork felt his heart drop and his insides turn with failure. He clenched his fists tighter in rebellion, but he knew that he couldn't speak against the Council.

"Do not change the course of Time, Clockwork," the Observer reminded him once more. And then, the one-eyed ghost turned to leave. He hesitated at first, as if afraid of the consequences if he left, but then he materialized into the air, his shadow swirling to another destination.

The keeper of time found himself alone, although he already knew he would be.

It was finally quiet.

With a sigh, Clockwork collapsed into his favorite chair, feeling the weight of centuries settle around him. _I'm getting too old for his, _he thought sadly. Perhaps once the power he possessed was worth it, but now he was unsure. _Now_, Clockwork felt that his own fate had been changed, altered in some way. And he realized that alteration was all because of his charge; all because of a change of heart. He sunk a little farther into his chair, tiredness taking him over.

Danny was something of the son that, in life, he never had.

And like many ghosts, Clockwork had once been alive. He'd once been human. He was the type of person who spent rainy Sunday afternoons in the downtown library, reading old newspapers. He had clocks which monitored cities like Tokyo, London, and Paris all neatly aligned over his fireplace mantle.

Yet his obsession with the physics and laws of time kept him so occupied during his life that he'd never had time for a child. He'd never given one thought to the parental way, which revolved all around him. He'd never given it a second glance.

And as a human, he never had enough time. But now he had all the time in the world. He had _Time _to be what he couldn't before. And in a way, Clockwork felt that maybe he had missed something about life. That he'd missed what it felt like to be responsible for someone other than himself. His mind pulled in that paternal, fatherly way every time he thought about his charge.

He knew Danny didn't think of him as a surrogate father, and he knew that Danny never would. At best, the elder ghost would be a powerful ally or a friend. And in a way, perhaps he was jealous of Jack Fenton, who appeared to have once had everything that counted.

But alas, Clockwork was Clockwork. And Clockwork had Time, nothing more, nothing less.

Still…his sad, red eyes swiveled to land upon his staff. _Maybe Time has Clockwork, _he thought, _instead of the other way around_. For it was easy to see that even the keeper of Time couldn't control everything.

_"You can't interfere," _were the words which constantly echoed in his mind.

As his charge suffered and as he watched, the Observers had voiced their emotionless opinions. _"You can't interfere." _

Clockwork had seen Valerie coming _way _before Danny had.

"_You can't interfere." _

He had seen the evil intentions of the CGIA scientists way before they ever set foot in Danny's Central Lab. He had seen Danny, his charge and distant friend, brought to his knees. He had seen the weapons tear innocent skin _months_ before it became reality. He had seen the fatal scars on Danny's skin before they were ever carved.

And still… _"__**You can't interfere." **_

Clockwork had been forced to watch, forced to merely observe and to never intervene. For two years, he silently upheld his duties, blinding his eyes to his charge. To his _son._

But he couldn't do that anymore.

Parents didn't abandon their children. And even though Clockwork had never been a parent, there was no time like the present to learn. That was a life lesson he couldn't forget. His heart never allowed it.

His mind raced, his thoughts flew, and he felt control spiral from his fingertips. _Why can I not see Danny's future? Why can I not interfere?_

_Why can I not __**help? **_he wished to shout to the Council.

But he knew it would do no good. For some days, not even Clockwork understood Time.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

Downtown in the heart of Amity West Hospital, Valerie was sleeping in the Intensive Care Unit.

It was one of those deep sleeps, too. That kind of sleep where you don't wake up 'til days had passed. The kind where your deepest fears, your memories, and your past came back to life. The doctors called it a temporary coma, although that word seemed a bit harsh.

Nevertheless, the dreams that plagued her were even worse.

Valerie raced within her own mind, desperate to escape the traces of her mistakes. But it all followed her, and she couldn't get away. For the first time ever, Phantom haunted her.

She supposed in that respect, her dreams were truly ironic. Phantom, ghost though he was, had never haunted her, nor had her actions. But they did now.

And she couldn't stop it.

_The Red Hunter walked into the viewing center, her strides keeping in time with her boss. "What did you want to speak with me about?" she demanded grumpily. In her hand was a high-tech weapon, and she angrily clenched its handle. _

_She'd just been called straight from a ghost raid, and she was __**not **__happy. _

_"I needed to show you something," her boss told her. He motioned for her to sit down in a plush seat, and she did so, albeit in a snappish manner. "The Board has decided that the continuing existence of Danny Phantom has been jeopardized, so they need your help." _

_At the mere mention of the name Phantom, Valerie stiffened. "My help?" she repeated cautiously. "With what? I thought you said that all I needed to do was __**capture **__it, and then you'd take care of everything from there." _

_Her boss shrugged his shoulders. "I did say that, but this type of weapon has to be approved by you before we can undergo mass distribution to all of the Central Labs." _

_"Oh really?" Valerie raised an eyebrow. "And what's so different about this weapon that you had to call me __**off duty**__?" Her eyes narrowed on her last two words. _

_"It's not our weapon," the boss admitted, holding up his hands. "We just bought it from a couple of ghost hunters, although the team experimenting with it made a few modifications." He closed the door behind him and flipped the light switch. "You'll see the weapon in action first, mainly because we actually __**need**__ it this time, and then you'll have to decide."_

_Instantly, the viewing room was swept with darkness. _

_Moments passed before Valerie could see beyond the ecto-proofed window, and a few more passed before she could decipher shadows from their substance. It was dark, save for a few lab lights and the bright glow from the Experiment. _

_She squinted, and within the bright glow, she saw the form of her arch enemy. Phantom._

_But something was wrong. _

_Phantom wasn't trying to blast away his cage, wasn't trying to terrorize the scientists, and he wasn't reacting like the caged animal that he was. Instead, it was the exact opposite. He had been carelessly thrown into a human-sized cage, and he was half-sitting, half-laying down in the corner, his toned body leaning heavily against the bars. He could barely hold his head up and occasionally rested it against the cage as well. The ghost looked defeated, as if he were drifting between consciousness and oblivion. _

_It was strange. _

_The thought made Valerie furrow her eyebrows. __**Phantom…defeated**__? Those two words didn't seem to go together. She turned to her boss and asked, "Why isn't Phantom reacting?"_

_The man sighed with stress, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair. "A backlash of electricity in our system surged through Phantom's Lab last night and into his cell generators." He waved to the scene before him. "He was directly affected, and our teams have been trying to raise his power levels ever since." _

_Valerie's frown deepened. "Power levels? I thought the object was to keep him down. Why raise __**that**__?" _

_And at the question, her boss turned to face the glass window. "Because if they don't," the man replied gravely, "Danny Phantom will 'die.' He'll fade away into nothing." And as if to prove his point, Phantom's entire form shimmered. For a second, Valerie could have sworn she'd seen his hair turn black. But then she blinked, and all she saw was shock white. "They've been working on him all night and haven't had much success until now."_

_Still, it was a rather sobering and dark thought, and Valerie asked no more questions after that. Instead, she turned to the scene unfolding through the glass._

_"What is his status?" asked one of the scientists from within the Lab. Their speech was muffled to Valerie, but she could still pick out their words. _

_"Stabilized," answered his assistant. She scribbled something down on a clipboard. "It appears that every blast increases his power, although the blasts are weak." She stopped writing and looked back up at her colleague. "It could take anywhere from five to seven consecutive blasts to bring him back to optimal conditions." _

_In reply, the scientist sighed. "How unfortunate." He ran a hand through his spiked hair. "I didn't realize that Phantom had a limit to how much electricity he could be exposed to." He shrugged. "I guess I do now, though." _

_He motioned for the other person beside him to initiate another round of experimentation with the weapon. And the man, rather happy to do so, shot the small weapon once more. _

_The resounding of the bullet echoed throughout the entire complex. _

_As the blast hit him, it tore into Phantom's body and spasmed him into seizures. His emerald eyes grew unfocused and too bright to be normal, and his entire body shook uncontrollably. Ectoplasm trailed haphazardly from the wide, open wound, and it had splattered across the bars. _

_The scientist laughed. _

_It was perhaps the most primitive, barbaric thing Valerie had ever laid eyes on. __**What the hell is this?**_

_**This can't be… **__A strange feeling came over her. _

_**I mean, I- **_

_But she tried to smother it before she could identify what it was. __**No. He deserves this. **_

_Another blast. Another seizure. _

_A whimper. _

_She hardened her eyes and forced herself to watch. __**He deserves it**__, she thought repeatedly. The weapon was shot again, and she tried not to look away. __**He deserves it. He would kill me if he had the chance, and he wouldn't stop there. **_

_Yet, not even that sentiment kept her from wincing as she heard him cry out. _

_Valerie watched on in morbid horror as the scientist turned to his comrade. "Hey," he said, "lemme have a go with that thing." A small, twisted glint had appeared in his eyes. "You're hogging all the fun." _

_His comrade turned to face the scientist, and he sighed, handing over the newly renamed Specter Saver. He knew he couldn't win a fight against the man. "Oh, alright," he said, somewhat depressed over giving it up. _

_"Just be careful," the assistant warned, although she couldn't hide the smirk on her face. "Don't give him __**too**__ much power, after all. We wouldn't want that."_

_"Oh, but we __**couldn't**__ have that," the scientist readily agreed. He took the weapon in his hands, and his greedy eyes drank in its raw power. "Just let me have a little fun; I haven't been able to shoot at a legal target for a long time." The expert gunman then lifted the Specter Saver and aimed. He pulled the trigger, and a dark green blast shot from the nozzle__-__ straight into the heart of Phantom. _

_It was a dead-on hit. _

_As the most agonizing cry of terror shook the soundproofed walls, the scientist smiled in satisfaction. "Bull's eye," he grinned triumphantly. The assistant clapped. _

_Valerie's eyes widened. _

_Phantom, overwhelmed by the blast, could no longer stand it. His back arched in pain, and he opened his mouth to cry once more, but he couldn't. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and his body's glow flickered before it began to fade. Then, his muscles slowly released their tension as he relaxed into the puddle of his own ectoplasm. A trail of ecto-blood slowly escaped from the corner of his mouth. _

_The Red Hunter's hands clenched tighter onto the seat. __**This isn't right,**__ she admitted to herself. __A small part of her felt very much ready to vomit, and the whole scene made her insides turn. _

_**They're **__**enjoying**__** this?**_

_The scientist shot him once more, just for good measure. Phantom's entire being jerked, and the blast cut through his shoulder like a bullet. _

_But slowly, the wounds inflicted from the Specter Saver reversed. The greater the impact, the more healing the effect. And Valerie could only stare as the ecto-stains on the floor melted back into the bloodstream of the unconscious Phantom. The wound over his heart sealed rather decently, smooth skin and a new layer of his jumpsuit stitching itself back together. The more minor injuries, however, were still slashed into Phantom's skin. _

_His gloved hands subconsciously dug into the tiled floor, as if he were desperately clawing in escape. But his strength did not last, and he collapsed entirely after mere seconds. _

_And it was around then Valerie realized she had lost circulation in her arms. She had been crushing the seat handles so tightly, her knuckles had turned white. Like a surprised cat, she carefully unstuck her fingers from the upholstery, but she never took her terror-stricken eyes away from the Experiment._

_"I think he's had it for the night," the comrade observed. _

_The scientist nodded, albeit hesitantly. "I agree." He set the weapon down upon a lab table, and he gently ran his fingers over the humming gun. "Still, I must say that I love the modifications you gave it, my friend." _

_His comrade smiled appreciatively. "Thanks. It didn't originally hurt the ghost, but in order to get this thing past the GIW, it had to insure pain to the inflicted ghost." He shrugged. "The agents are so picky about that." _

_"Who cares?" the assistant said casually. She turned to face Phantom, whose glow had slowly begun to flicker again. "It's not like he doesn't __**deserve**__ it." Her cold eyes narrowed. "Trash like this needs to be eradicated." _

_And as the light switch flipped back on in the viewing room, the image of the tormented Phantom was burnt in the back of her eyes. _

_Instantly, she demanded her boss to give her the only Specter Saver the CGIA had. And with that, she tore up the contract and walked out. _

_She still heard Phantom's gasps. _

Slowly, Valerie woke up.

It was a painful ordeal, waking up from a coma. Her eyes fluttered a bit, and she groaned as her pains hit her full force. Yet when she opened her teal eyes, they were hollow and misted. Reality still had not hit her, nor had she truly woken up. For moments, she laid there on her hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't even wonder where she was, although perhaps a part of her already knew.

Her mind was still distant, caught within in her memories.

_As the three's conversation began to drift, the scientist waved over another team, who had been waiting on stand by. "Send him back to his cell down the hall," he barked orders, and his subordinates meekly obeyed. _

_One subordinate in particular, a woman in her forties, ran out before the others. She landed on her knees beside the unmoving body of Phantom, and she gently, motherly, began treating his wounds, wrapping them in sterilized Ecto-bandages. _

_And when the Red Hunter glanced through the windows as she passed by, she saw tears streaming down the woman's face. _

Valerie blinked, and she felt the effects of her remnant dreams wash away.

_Ugh…_The distant expression on her face slowly reverted back to clarity and sharpness. With a groan of pain, she lifted her arm to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

_Did I just have a nightmare? _

After that fateful night, she'd had those scientists immediately moved to another area, and she had appointed a new team in charge of Phantom. The leader? The lady scientist from the clean up crew, the one who had cried for Phantom.

It was the only favor she ever did him, and sometimes she wondered _why_ she did it. Maybe it was to silence her guilt. Maybe it was silence that _sound_.

It bothered her to give in like that.

But that memory never left her mind. It never left her alone, and it never allowed her to rest. Phantom's cry still rang in her ears like a funeral march, ripping her conscience with every passing second.

For nights afterwards, she had wondered what other kinds of experiments were being run on Phantom. But she hadn't cared to ask, for Phantom was her enemy.

And now that she knew the truth…

She swiveled her eyes to stare at the Specter Saver. _Did I do the right thing? _she wondered silently. She knew that only one blast wouldn't be enough, and she hadn't wanted to subject him to more pain. She knew that she had been playing with fire. But she could only pray that it _was_ enough.

_Please…_

Her heart still hurt a bit, although not from physical pain. That look on Phantom's face, the second before she'd been whisked away, had nearly been enough to make Valerie cry. She couldn't erase it from her memory. Such _betrayal_, so much hurt. His eyes spoke the same sound that his mouth had screamed in her dream.

Perhaps that was what had triggered her nightmare. And perhaps that was why she was so worried.

_If only he knew,_ she thought worriedly.

_If only he knew that I had been trying to help…_Her eyebrows furrowed, and she bit her lip. _But was it __**enough**?_

_Did he make it outside alright?_

A hammering concern suddenly squeezed her heart. _And what if he __**didn't**?_

But Valerie quickly stomped out the flame to her fears. _No_, she thought with forced resolve. _I can't think like this… He's okay, he's gotta be!_

_Phantom's just fine, I'm __**sure**__ of it. _

Her words felt forced, even to herself. Was her heart in it? She didn't know, and she couldn't tell. Yet before she could dwell on the topic much longer, Valerie decided to distract herself. It was only thing she could do to escape her fears.

_I've just got to relax. _

As she waited for a doctor or a nurse to find her, she pressed the button beside the bed. Her shoulder protested the action. The TV on the wall flicked on, and Valerie found that it had been left on the news.

Not surprising.

But what the news was reporting about? It made Valerie's jaw drop.

"-according to surviving agents and back-up equipment, it has been concluded that Danny Phantom was completely destroyed in the fire." Valerie's eyes widened. Her heart skipped. _Oh my God…_"His ectoplasmic signature was disrupted by the fire's intense heat, and scanners only found miniscule traces of his power levels."

_No way… _

Fear gripped her heart, and her breathing grew more erratic. The beeps from her heart monitor shortened in pace and rhythm. _No…_

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I regret to inform you…Our most controversial icon, Danny Phantom, has officially been destroyed by the CGIA." The reporter bowed her head. "May his spirit finally find peace."

_That…t-that can't be true…!_

The TV then switched to eyewitness accounts.

And at that moment, Valerie felt the strangest feeling overwhelm her. Her burnt fists clenched with an immeasurable strength, but she felt no pain.

Rebellion. Denial. Anger.

"No," she whispered to the TV. Her voice was raspy and it sounded nothing like her, but her vocal chords strained to speak. "_No_!"

"You're…y-you're…._wrong_…" _I saved him! _

_I __**saved **__Phantom…! _Her vision blurred with confused tears. _You're wrong! You can't be right!_

But somewhere, deep down, she knew that only one blast from the Specter Saver wasn't enough. It couldn't have been.

It wasn't.

In horror, she watched the TV as countless technicians explained the circumstances. And every single explanation led up to one conclusion:

Danny Phantom had met his end, and the Red Hunter had barely escaped with her life.

_No…_

For the first time, Valerie felt a tear roll down her disbelieving face._ He's not gone… He can't be!_

_No…!_

A tear for Phantom.

* * *

_o.O.o.O.o.O.o_

* * *

_Wow, I'm completely amazed and astounded and in shock right now. _

_Did I just seriously write a whole chapter in a week? Did I really:)_

…_(insert a gasp.) I guess I did! I'd like to know how I did that…  
_

_So anywho, this chapter was actually not that hard to write. Did you know that this is the first time I've ever written Clockwork? Aside from Danny himself, I think Clockwork is my next favorite character. Just 'cause he's awesome:) I hope I got his personality down half-way okay. And, with any luck, this whole chapter wasn't freakishly OOC. _

_Did you know that this whole story was supposed to be only three chapters? …Yeah, I know: I really underestimated it…_

_Chapter completed: Friday, February 22, 2008 at 5:24 P.M. _

_Current Song Inspiration: Sister Rosetta Comes Before Us by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. _

**1.) How was the transition between scenes? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) Was the chapter stagnant in any way? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable, or has it maintained some sense of unexpectedness? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add:) **

_(Thank you so much if you answer any of these questions! I know that they get really tedious and stupid, but it really helps me gauge each and every chapter's personality. This way, I can see how constant my writing level is, and whether or not I need to improve the plot.)_

_So thank you all so much for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

_**Please Review:)**_


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP._

_301 reviews…301 reviews…301 reviews…_

_Seriously, I can't believe it. Thank you all so much!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 12**

* * *

It was still raining.

Sam stared out of her window, her violet eyes distant. Tear tracks from hours before had dried upon her cheeks, and new tears threatened to fall. Her vision had blurred to a swimming gray, but she was unaware.

She wasn't really looking at Amity Park, anyway.

Rather, her mind replayed images from her memory, from that day.

Sam forced herself to face the clock. 7:00 A.M it said, and she winced.

It had been nine hours.

Nine hours since Danny Phantom had been declared "dead." Nine hours since Sam had been escorted off the premises of the CGIA, and nine hours since Sam had gone into shock, or whatever mental block she'd gone into.

She'd heard of such things. _Shock. _The first time she'd heard the word, she immediately thought, "electrocution." She'd always assumed that the word went with physical pain. Never with mental agony.

But she didn't know what emotional shock could do.

Her hands shook, and the piece of paper which she cradled in her palm trembled like a leaf. The paper was a county fine for "disturbing the peace."

She closed her eyes, and held-back tears cascaded down her face. _God…_

Why was time so cruel?

Sam tried to not think of Danny. She tried not to think of his smile, his laugh, his eyes. She tried not to think of how his strong arms wrapped around her waist, nor did she try to think of the kisses he'd stolen from her. Sam tried not to think of how he'd always make her day better.

She tried not to think of the scared, hurt boy she'd helped on a rainy night. She tried not to think of the numerous injuries she'd bandaged for him, nor did she try to think of how many times she'd nursed him back to health after a battle.

An image of the CGIA flashed through her memory, and her entire being flinched.

Thus, Sam tried not to think of many things about Danny, but she knew it was no use. She sighed, her fist clenching a bit harder around the county fine and crumpling the unfeeling text.

A weary bird flew over her apartment, and its flight reminded her of Danny.

.

_"Sammy?" he asked her. _

_She turned around to find him outside her window. Danny was holding out his hand, his green eyes bright with excitement. "Fly with me." _

_And she did. _

_._

Sam's mind spun with fragments of memories past, haunting and taunting her every step of the way.

.

_"I love you, Sam," Danny whispered into her ear. _

_._

She couldn't escape.

.

_"Please, Sammy?" He gave __her his best puppy-dog eyes and clasped her hands within his. "With those little bat sprinkles you like so much on top?" _

_._

Trying to forget only made her remember.

So she tried not to think. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the world and drowning herself out with them. The soft pounding of the rain beat a comforting rhythm on her roof, lulling her into a false relaxation. _I..I wish I could forget... _She sunk further into her seat, her black hair falling sadly around her shoulders.

_I wish I could forget that I love you, Danny..._

But her second of silence didn't last long. The beat of the rain seemed to shift, changing into an unsteady rhythm. The wind outside suddenly reversed directions.

For it was at that moment that she heard _it_.

Surprised, she opened her eyes.

It was a soft whisper, ghost-like in essence, and it echoed off her eardrums so faintly, she wasn't sure it truly existed…

For a second, Sam thought that she was hearing things. But she couldn't have been, for good hearing ran through her family. She wasn't psychotic; well, perhaps she was stretched to her mental limit, but not nearly bad enough for a hallucination. It had to be something real.

Something _tangible. _

And something that was coming from within her room.

In shock, Sam slowly turned around.

"_S-Sam_…"

She knew that voice _anywhere. _

Her eyes widened; her heart skipped a beat. _T-that's…That's…!_

_But it can't…!_

_I mean, I-_

_I'm __**not**__ hearing things, right? _

And with hesitant hope, Sam's quivering voice whispered, "…Danny?"

A ghost-like whisper answered her. It was soft and pained, and it electrified Sam's senses with an indefinable emotion. "_Sam_?"

Suddenly, she found herself face-to-face with a see-through figure.

Sam froze in shock.

"_Sam_…" His form wavered, as if caught between dimensions. His tired emerald eyes were dulled, and his entire body was slumped. He held his right shoulder, and ecto-blood slowly squeezed from between his fingers. Slowly, his form became solid.

The girl's jaw dropped, and her heart leapt. "_Danny_!"

She caught him just before he crumpled to the floor. He swayed unsteadily before he gave up, leaning his near-weightless frame on the disbelieving Sam. The ghost looked exactly like a prisoner of war; Sam could feel his ribs through his jumpsuit.

"D-Danny?" Shakily, she wrapped her arms around his thin form, her eyes turbulent with happiness, sadness, and fear.

He whispered tiredly into the crook of her neck, "_Sammy?…my arm h-hurts … so __**b-bad**__…_"

_I love you…_

And Sam was so close to Danny that she felt him slip into unconsciousness.

* * *

Danny knew he was running on borrowed time. Frantic, desperate whispers from Sam's voice echoed into his mind, and the feeling of clumsily being set on the floor tingled through his body. Butterfly brushes of her fingertips swept over his face, over his arms, and over his chest. But even in his state, a type of calmness overcame every other emotion. Sam always did that to Danny.

He knew she'd take care of him.

"D-Danny? Can you hear me?" Sam's voice was so distant, so muffled, but he could still make out the words. "If you can hear me, I…I p-promise you'll be okay…!" He heard her barely choke back a sob, and a tear drop landed on his neck. "Oh G-god, Danny…" She kissed his temple, her lips pulling back into an uncontrollable sob. She nuzzled his dirtied mop of white hair, her shaking fingers caressing the side of his soot-streaked face and trailing down the line of his jaw.

_Sam... _He could feel her emotions; relief, sadness, panic, shock_...love. _

He soon heard the familiar sound of Sam's first aid kit, and at that, Danny knew that he'd come to the right place.

He'd found home.

Danny's heart beat with a warmth he hadn't felt in two years, and he relaxed into the pool of his blood.

_I love you too..._

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam was in shock. Bright ecto-blood pooled onto her floor, but she couldn't have cared less about the Persian tiling. The world could have been ending, and she wouldn't have cared. All she cared about now was Danny, and the fact that he'd already lost so much blood.

How injured had he been before he arrived? And for how long?

_Danny..._

Sam's medical side overrode every other emotion as Danny's safety became her top concern. Without even thinking, she rummaged through a container underneath her bed. She roughly pushed aside old t-shirts and books, desperately searching for it.

Finally, she found it.

Her fingertips clanked against the plastic covering, and she latched onto the handle with an iron grip. With a grimace, she managed to pull out the heavy first aid kit, and she quickly set to opening it. Her hands were shaking so badly, she almost couldn't undo the latch. But the lid unlocked, and medical items of every type tumbled from the over-stuffed container. Band-aids, antiseptic, and gauze spilled onto the floor. And with that, she got to work.

Years of bandaging, re-bandaging, and using antiseptic came back to her, and she instantly knew what to do. She didn't even have to think about it; it was just _there. _She mechanically pulled scissors from the first aid kit and began cutting the jumpsuit away from Danny's shoulder.

She winced when she peeled away the tattered remains from the neck of the suit to reveal the damage. Danny grimaced even in his sleep, as if he could still feel the pain of being moved.

_Oh God…_

She swallowed hard.

From a doctor's point of view, Danny was beyond repair. His bones were shattered. His right shoulder and collar bone were broken, uneven from his left, and the skin and muscle surrounding it was torn. So many of his major blood arteries had been ruptured…

And the _scars_.

Her eyes widened in absolute shock. In order to bandage his wounds, she had to unzip his jumpsuit to underneath his shoulders, and that's when she nearly dropped her control over her tears.

_D-Danny...I'm so sorry..._

She ran a finger over one of his ribs, where a jagged, white line wound around his middle. It looked healed over, but so many more marred his pale skin. How had he gotten them?

_W-what… **happened** to you? _He flinched when she touched a particular scar over his heart.

She tried to distract herself by assessing the rest of his injuries.

And after that came the actual medical attention. Her hands followed through the motions as if everything had been rehearsed. Ecto-blood stained her clothes, but she didn't care. And before she knew it, time had spun out of her mind. She babbled to Danny, although whether it was for his gain or her's, she wasn't sure. She talked of everything and nothing; of his parents, of her's. Of the weather and how she'd slipped in a mud puddle coming home two days ago.

Sometimes she broke off with a sob, and an overwhelming wave of tears streamed from her violet eyes. Her heart hurt from sympathy pains; that feeling she got when she imagined what torture he went through. But she tried to smile through her tears for his sake, and she carried on with whatever she was talking about.

It was so hard to talk, though, when she knew that Danny was in pain.

Hours passed. The ticks of the clock quietly piled up on the wall, but it didn't seem to matter.

* * *

It was some time later before Danny managed to pull himself out of unconsciousness. As it was, such an act was probably not the best course of action; he needed to rest, both physically and mentally. But he wanted to see Sam, wanted to hear her, wanted to _talk_ to her so badly, he didn't care what price he had to pay to do so.

He slowly became aware that he was shaking, and he realized that he was freezing. Or was he numb? He wasn't sure.

Maybe he was in so much pain, he couldn't tell the difference.

Danny tried to move, but even the slightest twitch unleashed spasms down his spine, and it sparked all the way to his skull. He grimaced in pain, although he was unaware he was doing it, and he tried to fight it.

_C-can't…breathe!_

But he couldn't. The pain seemed to worsen, and he groaned softly, his heart hammering. He could feel his lungs quicken their pace, as if he couldn't breathe enough air, and he panicked.

Why couldn't he breathe? What was going on? _Am I dying? Am I dead?_

He struggled harder, but weights seemed to pull down every muscle in his body. Searing pain shot through every organ, every chamber of his heart. His mind throbbed with a deadly pulsing, as if his heart was pumping too hard. It _hurt_, the ghost realized.

His heart beat echoed loudly in his ears, and it grew louder… and _louder_…

His fingers curled around the gauze wrapped around his chest, and his entire body shuddered. His right side lit with fire, and suddenly Danny couldn't stand the pain. Yet just as his waking groans gave to cries, he felt Sam appear beside him. The ghost felt fingers begin to trail through his hair, her fingertips unintentionally caressing his temples. And, for some reason or another, he could breathe easier. Her touch, her presence, _she _calmed his soul from its terror.

And whether or not he wanted to, he felt himself lean into Sam's hand, relief washing over him.

His guardian angel had come to his aid once again.

Sam, who had nearly fallen asleep beside the ghost, snapped awake the moment Danny began tossing and turning. And instantly she tried to comfort him, although she knew she couldn't do much.

"I would hug you," she brokenly admitted to him, "but I don't want to hurt you more…"

"…'s okay," Danny heard himself whisper. His voice sounded so raspy and hoarse, so far away from his body. Was he really talking?

A strange echo resounded with his words, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"I'm so sorry, Danny." She still streamed her fingers through his white locks, and every touch seemed to relax him even more. His shoulder pulsed painfully, but he could momentarily bear it.

Just as long as Sam never left him.

"Don't be s-sorry…" He silently pleaded with her to continue playing with his hair, and she did. "'s not your…fault…" he tried to tell her, but his voice wouldn't coordinate with his mind. In his delirious state, he wasn't sure which way was up or down; he could barely decipher Sam's wavering words.

Slowly, agonizingly, Danny opened his emerald eyes. A tilted, static vision of Sam swam before him, and he realized that he was looking straight up at her.

His head was in her lap.

And her eyes were so bright, so blurred with tears that it scared him. Why was she crying? A part of him wished that he could reach up and wipe away her tears, but he knew he didn't have the energy to.

But then, so quietly that Danny nearly missed it, he heard her admit, "…D-Danny?" Sam's bottom lip quivered, although she tried to hide it. She'd always tried to be strong, but Danny knew that she didn't have to be. "I was so afraid…"

She leaned closer to him, as if scared to let go. "I thought you had died," she whispered, her voice rough with a sad relief. And at that, Danny's eyes widened at her in surprise. "But…I don't know…" She looked away him, ashamed of her own doubt. "Your wounds are so…_extensive_, Danny…" Another wave of tears threatened to overcome her. "I'm still so afraid…And I don't know what to do."

He closed his eyes again, tired. He listened to the lilt of her voice, the way she said his name. Maybe he was trying to distract himself, for he knew as well that his chances weren't so good anymore.

Shakily, Sam ran her hand over the deep scar that wrapped around his good shoulder, snaking underneath his jumpsuit. She couldn't _believe_ that he had similar ones everywhere on his torso. "Why, Danny?"

Sam sadly watched his expression as she asked him. "Why?" Tears welled once more in her eyes as she traced the jagged paths across his ribs, her fingers shaking. _You don't deserve this…_she wanted to tell him, to cry to him.

_Definitely not you…_

And the ghost hesitated. But then he answered brokenly, "I…d-dunno, Sam…" He hadn't the energy to say much else. He turned his eyes away from her, afraid to see her reaction. Was she disgusted?

Something shifted within his ever-darkening mind, and it leeched his energy once again. Flashes hotter than the sun ripped through his nerves, and every scar that Sam touched iced into an unimaginable coldness. The ghost shivered, arching his back a little. He groaned with the energy it took to fight down the pain in his shoulder; he didn't want to scare Sam any more than he already had.

"Who did this?" came Sam's quiet whisper, as if she were afraid that the question would hurt him.

So tired, Danny's next words were barely a breath. "CGIA…" his chest rose in a shudder. His skin stretched against his ribs as if he were starved, and he suddenly felt like he couldn't breathe again. He struggled, fighting to inhale more air.

Danny felt Sam stiffen in fear.

The memories brought back a subconscious panic that he couldn't control. So he squeezed his eyes shut, focusing on Sam's comforting touch. _Please, _he wanted to tell her, _don't make me remember. _

_Please…!_

But it was too late.

Images of the past two years flashed before his mind, and he could suddenly see every weapon, every sneer, every _cut_ carved into his body. His eyes widened, but they were a clouded green, as if he wasn't really there.

"Danny?"

He could barely hear Sam's voice.

"D-Danny?"

He began shaking.

"Danny!"

He was so cold…

Fear, no _terror,_ caught him in its iron grip.

_Sam! _he wanted to cry out, but in reality, he wasn't sure if he did or not.

His delerious state brought him back to that first horrible year, to where the worst of his scars originated. He was no longer in Sam's room, wrapped up in Sam: no, he was back in a cell. Something dark and black twisted into his vision, and he couldn't get away from it. He tried to move, but he couldn't; he was chained.

It tore down into his vision, and it clawed deep into his spine, through muscle to bone. He felt himself lurch forward, and his sight blackened. Both the real Danny and the one in his memories whimpered. Then, it retracted. Bright ecto-blood spilled for the first time that night.

The first scar.

And then the second.

He tried to move, tried to run away, but he couldn't. Was he chained again?

And then the third.

He opened his mouth to scream, but he couldn't. Suddenly, he moved, and the weapon backlashed down his shoulder blade. It lit with a fire so intense that seared him to his core. "_H-help m-me_!" he cried deleriously, twisting and turning, desperate to get away from the weapon.

The memories were too alive.

He couldn't tell what was real from what wasn't.

And suddenly, he felt Sam carefully maneuver away from him, and cold floor flared underneath his neck. He panicked, and his heart skipped in terror. The weapon tore jaggedly across his front, splitting his logo...

But as soon as the contact with Sam was gone, a new one was formed. In reality, he felt her lay beside him, turning to him. She carefully wrapped an arm around his body and brought herself closer to him in a hug.

Warmth.

"Please," she whispered, "stay with me, Danny!" Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he could feel her tears against his skin. "Come on…" Her lips quivered. She understood where his mind was; she knew what he was seeing. _Shock,_ the doctors called it, and Sam didn't want Danny to go through that as well.

Then, the living nightmare in his mind dampened with her words. The wires faded in time.

It left him gasping.

And slowly, Danny forced himself to climb away from the darkness he'd fallen into. The walls of the CGIA melted back into Sam's room, and his eyes cleared, memories fading away into the present. His scars, however, didn't fade. He turned his head so that he could see her, and Sam raised her head so that they could both see each other's eyes.

Those memories were real.

Danny's own green pair were suddenly focused with such an intensity of knowing fear, the girl wasn't sure what to do except hold him.

"S-Sam?" he asked her. His voice shook unsteadily, and cold chills wracked up and down his spine to a point where Sam was his only heat souce. His words echoed more deeply. He was very aware that she could see his scars.

"Yeah, Danny?" Sam's tone was quiet, as if she was afraid her voice would break him.

With a grimace, he managed to move his hand so that it covered one particularly deep scar across his side. He was ashamed of his marred skin, for it reminded him of his failure. "T-they won't…they won't g-go away,"he admitted.

Fear struck him, and he wondered if she was disgusted by him. Was she disgusted? Did the sight of his scars scare her?

He hadn't thought of that before.

But Sam merely laid her hand against his, and then cradled his weakened hand within her smaller one. "I know they won't go away," she told him quietly. She brought his hand closer to her lips, and she kissed his palm.

The comforting gesture helped to dampen his fears, but they still resided in the back of his mind. "I was…worried about that," he said, sad and afraid to look at her. He dropped his gaze. "I, I t-thought that m-maybe you'd…hate me…"

Sam started at his words, surprised. "Hate you?" she asked incredulously. "Why?"

"I'm s-so scarred and ugly now…" So broken, he wanted to add. He hesitated on his next words. "How…how c-could you still l-love me?" His expression was heartbroken, as if he already knew her answer.

Then, her eyes saddened in understanding. "Oh, Danny…" She leaned closer to him, and kissed his cheek, then his lips. Softly, she whispered in his ear, "I love you no matter what." Her words were true, and her voice rang with genuine honesty. "You're beautiful."

And with that, a little smile worked its way across Danny's colorless lips in relief. So she still loved him, even after everything that had happened. But so much had happened...Was _anything_ the same?

"H-hey Sam?"

Sam instantly answered him, eager to wash away his doubts. "Yeah?"

The ghost's next question was less hesitant from the first. "Even if I d-died, would you still…l-love me?"

"Of course, Danny," she replied adamantly, openly allowing him to see her tears. She didn't brush them away, and instead held his hand closer to her heart. Her voice was quiet but quivering with untold strength. "I told you," she said, "I love you no matter _what_."

The rain lifted a little outside.

"J-ust…asking…" He smiled, but it was distant, and it didn't reach his eyes. "I…wanted to know."

_You know_, he wanted to say, _for future reference._

A moment passed between them, and he stared up at the ceiling, looking at nothing. Then, his green eyes sparked with an otherworldly knowledge. His voice suddenly echoed as he said quietly, _"_Because I think I'm dying."

Their world changed.

It was silent in that room. Sam didn't want to believe it, and Danny didn't want to admit it once more. Tension rose in the air, and it constricted until someone broke it.

"_No_," Sam said firmly. She shook her head. "You can't die." Her voice cracked on her last word. Then, barely above a breath, "You _can't_." As if to convince herself, she kissed him softly, and then she whispered desperately against his cold lips, "God, don't die…"

She knew he could.

"S-Sam?... I'm scared..."He looked up at her, his eyes full of a clarity and brightness that was a little _too_ bright to be good. Then, as if it were a last will and testament, Danny whispered clearly to her_, "...I love you." _And his tone was so soft, so loving in emotion that it broke the final barriers of Sam's heart.

They both knew he was dying.

She squeezed her eyes shut, and tears fell down her cheeks. She trailed a kiss along his jaw, feeling him quiver under her touch, and she set her forehead against his. "Please, Danny…" Her hands, still holding his own, shook in indescribable fear. "Don't leave me here."

But his eyes were clouding and becoming more and more unfocused. He tried to clear his vision, just to see her, but he found that he couldn't. A black weight settled in his mind, and Sam suddenly felt so _far _away. He couldn't feel her. The stars of the universe spanned before his mind, pulling him under. His fingers curled tightly around Sam's. _Dying…_

And with that, he knew he could no longer fight. He'd lost the war. The stars were calling for him.

He didn't have the strength to live. He could die in Sam's arms, and he'd be content with his life.

His heart beat changed the moment he lost his will to live.

With a sigh, he let go.

"Danny?" she asked him tensely. "What's wrong?" But he didn't answer her. The ecto-blood slowly pooling beneath his bandages sluggishly stopped, mixing into a bright, macabre red. "D-Danny?" Sam whispered fearfully. His glowing aura faded around his body. "Oh, God…!"

He was truly dying.

Then, with a hoarse sob, Sam cried to him, "Come on, answer me!" A second passed. Her expression panicked, and her eyes widened in terror. "_Danny_!"

But the half-ghost's emerald eyes were fading with the mist. Sam's blood ran cold. "C-come on, Danny! Wake up…!" But he wasn't, and his heart beat slowly quieted with every thump. Her vision blurred with tears as she gripped tighter onto his limp hand.

_I'm sorry, Sam…_

"Please!"

_I…can't…_

The world grew darker, more hazy. Danny breathed in his last shuddering breath. Sam threw her arms around Danny, as if willing him her life force. "_Please_," she desperately begged him. But he didn't answer.

And then, suddenly, the skies of the dimensions opened. The stars halted in their quest. The rain froze in its path, and a voice thundered into the room:

"Time _out_!"

* * *

_Once again, sorry this took eternity to update. Bad habit, right? :) Well, at least I can say that I tried. I dunno, I kinda feel like the whole chapter was rushed in its dialogue, but then maybe that's me. Not a bad love scene for a girl who's never been kissed, huh? :)_

_I tried really hard to make the chemistry between Sam and Danny right, but it's kinda hard when one of your characters are dying… In any case, I hope you guys liked the cliffhanger!_

_Song inspiration: Requiem for a Dream by Clint Mansell, and Take a Bow by Muse._

_Chapter started: February 17th, 2008_

_Chapter finished: Friday, April 4, 2008 at 10:38 A.M._

**1.) How was the transition between characters? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) Was the chapter stagnant in any way? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable, or has it maintained some sense of unexpectedness? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add:) **

_Thanks for reading,_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review!**


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Don't own Dp.

_I apologize for the really late updating of this chapter. Final exams. I feel drained; can't clearly think…_

_But thank you very much for all of my wonderful reviews! I appreciate all the feedback that you've given me!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 13**

* * *

In all his centuries, Clockwork had been taught one thing by his superiors: never act without thinking.

It was his most important lesson.

_Well_, Clockwork thought at first, _who acts without thinking? _After all, when he was alive, he'd been an incredibly responsible person. And because he'd been so secluded from life's experiences, he'd never really considered that _other_ people were irresponsible.

Clockwork's second thought to that lesson was, W_hy would __**I **__act without thinking? I __**never**__ act rashly. _And it was true, for he'd map out his decisions way before executing them. He would consult his elders before acting on his own opinion and things like that. Still, he stored away that information as he watched the world exist. He knew that decisions were to come, and he had to be ready to make them for the right reasons.

But, _maybe_ he had miscalculated his own limits.

He didn't understand what had possessed him at that moment to directly disobey orders. He didn't understand why that lesson had suddenly slipped from his mind. He didn't understand what made him go against everything he'd been taught. But either way, Clockwork knew he had to act.

He _knew. _

And it wasn't his logic nor his power that told him to act. It wasn't his duty as the Keeper of Time. It was his _heart_, and that paternal pull from within it. He had to save Danny, his charge.

He had to save his son.

And _damn_ all the rules that said he couldn't.

His cloak swirled with an unlimited power as he lifted his aged staff. He transformed into his adult appearance, barely a day over thirty. And he raised the staff in his strong hand.

"_Time Out!" _

His command echoed to the farthest reaches of the world.

And then, the universe was still.

* * *

Somewhere within the Ghost Zone, an Observer felt the shock of stopped time. And being an Observer, he was immune to Clockwork's powers.

Yet he was suddenly very, _very_ unhappy.

He guessed what Clockwork was up to.

* * *

The next thing Sam knew, she was staring at the face of Clockwork. His red eyes were worried and darting. His ghostly appearance was staggered, and it was as if he was there and he wasn't.

Being suspended in time was a strange feeling.

"We must hurry," he pressed. Clockwork's deep voice echoed with an emotion that Sam couldn't exactly place. He reminded her vaguely of a worried parent. His cloak flared behind him as he moved past Sam.

Sam suddenly realized that she was hovering in the air, and she felt herself jump in surprise, eyes wide. She turned around. There, a bright light encompassed Danny, as if protecting him, and it lifted him into the air. Deep from within the glowing light, she saw the faint outline of his limp body. Clockwork's eyes hardened with anger and sadness. "Even _I_ can not detain Death for long." The light surrounding the three flared in to crystal facets of untapped power. "There isn't much time."

"What's going on?" Sam managed to ask, her voice quivering with uncertainty. She may have vaguely known Clockwork, but this show of power was beyond even _her_ limits. "W-what are you doing?"

And Clockwork swiveled around. "Rebelling," he replied simply. His eyes were both sad and accepting.

Instantly, the entire world around them changed. The walls faded from dull white to a vibrant green, swirling with ghostly whispers and powers. The temperature suddenly dropped, and time became a foreign concept.

Sam felt like time couldn't touch her.

She realized that they'd somehow entered the Ghost Zone.

She opened her mouth, but Clockwork answered her question before she could ask it. "There is a place," he told her, "that could possibly save Danny." His red eyes looked through her, past her, staring worriedly at a destination far beyond her own vision. "Yet there are so many paths that exist…" He seemed to mumble to himself as the doors flew by. "I can't see the true one…"

He looked at Sam and saw her heartbroken expression. She moved against the time stream to where Danny was, and when she tried to touch his shoulder, the aura surrounding him shocked her. She gasped and quickly snatched her hand away in pain, her eyes wide.

Clockwork gave her an apologetic look. "The barrier is an intensified ectoplasmic ray. It uses the energy in the air and channels it to Danny."

"Will he be okay?" Sam asked weakly. She tried to sound strong and optimistic, but her worry overrode any other emotion. She stared Clockwork straight in his red eyes, as if pleading for a positive reply.

But the ghost had none to give. "I…don't know," he admitted quietly.

Sam gave him a worried, strange look. "You don't know," she repeated. Suddenly, her expression became panicked. "_You _don't _know_?"

Clockwork grimaced. "Something's interfering with my ability to see Danny's true future." As the doors flew past, Sam wanted to ask him what was interfering, but she never got the chance.

A dark shadow loomed over them as they reached their destination. Sam turned back, sharply glancing up at the building. Her eyes instantly widened, and her jaw dropped.

Great, chrome pillars and city towers forced her to crane her neck to see the top. Huge, spiraling staircases twisted in every direction, portals opened half-way. It was deathly silent, caught up in the stopped time. It looked formidable and terror-striking.

She'd never seen this part of the Ghost Zone before.

"We try to keep this building secret," Clockwork explained quietly, "because it houses the Ghost Zone's most wounded. Here, Danny might have a chance." He looked directly at Sam. "Ever heard of a hospital?"

And as Sam nodded in acknowledgement, Clockwork released the barrier surrounding Danny. His form dimmed, revealing his unmoving body. His emerald eyes were wide open and unnaturally bright, and his blood was frozen in its trail down his chin.

Clockwork would not have told her the reason why he couldn't see Danny's future. Sam's heart and mind, so strong and determined, would break if she knew.

For when an individual lied between the realm of true death and life, their destiny was their own. That was another lesson Clockwork's elders had taught. And in Danny's case, so many variables existed. So many paths, so many doors. So much hate and love intermixed in one.

So much of Danny's bruised heart wishing to let go.

And as a guardian, Clockwork wondered how many parents had ever been in his position. The ability to envision all paths of life left him with a certain fear. A certain knowledge that he could never explain.

He reengaged Time, understanding every consequence and reward. "_Time In_!"

And the angry cry of a thousand Observers thundered in the air like lightning.

* * *

_This is __**ridiculous**__._

Vladimir Masters checked his watched and frowned, irritated.

She was late. _Again_.

Such an occurrence had become a habit as of the past few weeks, and the business man found it quite annoying, having to wait on someone else. He preferred for _himself _to be fashionably late, not the other way around.

The clocks ticked away precious time as he paced in his office.

His steel, blue eyes were dark with worry. Considering the circumstances he had found himself under lately, how could he _not_ be worried? He had been up since two o' clock the previous morning, nervous over the CGIA happenings. He hadn't checked the TV; he could see it all from his office window.

And then…

"Mr. Masters!" A breathless voice called from the doorway. A petite woman recklessly flung it open and then slammed it behind her with her foot. In one arm, she carried a folder, and her heels clacked against the expensive tile as she ran to meet him. "Mr. Masters, I'm _so _sorry I'm late!"

He rolled his eyes and turned around. "Then don't let it happen again," he replied coldly. He snatched the folder from her willing hands.

"…sorry, Mr. Masters," she babbled guiltily. "I am _so_ sorry. Sorry, sorry! I mean, _sorry_ can't even begin to describe how sorry I really am! I was trying so hard to get here on time, but with all the traffic and ghost patrols and your possessed cat Maddie-"

"-That's enough, Miss Jones," Vlad cut in with an annoyed tone. His powerful voice alone was enough to snap her out of it. Her mouth shut with an impressive _click_, and she blushed embarrassedly. She had been caught ranting again; another regular habit that she had been trying so hard to break out of. The thirty year old secretary looked at the floor in shame, clasping her hands behind her back.

Vlad opened the manila folder and began flipping through the first few pages. Almost distractedly, he asked her, "What is the status report?"

At his bidding, she swiveled up her gaze and replied reluctantly, "Well…I mean….It's just…uh, that is to say-"

"-_Miss Jones_," Vlad snapped, glaring at her from over the papers.

The woman started in place. "Not good," she said quickly. A few red-brown tendrils of hair had fallen from her bun, and so she tucked them behind her ears. "That folder is the only remains of the Phantom Codes." She glanced off, her indigo eyes nervous. "The Guys in White want it back really soon, but I told them that they'd have to go through legislation to get it back from you." Miss Jones looked up at him hopefully. "Was that the right thing to say?"

"Yes, yes," the businessman replied sharply, his blue eyes flashing in irritation. "Now what else were you supposed to do for me?"

Miss Jones blinked, her expression blank for a moment. Then it hit her. "Oh yes!" She pulled something from her jacket, revealing it to be some sort of ghost device. "I set an ecto-tracker alongside the site so that the public wouldn't worry about ghosts attacking right now." She curiously looked down at the screen. "Hasn't picked up anything though."

Vlad suddenly paused in thought, his expression vague. "Tell me…" He hesitated with his words, as if surprised at himself. "Tell me what you know about the survival of Danny Phantom."

"Danny Phantom?" Miss Jones repeated dumbly. "Oh, the news report stated that he disappeared." Vlad's eyes widened just the slightest fraction. "I ran a double diagnostic on the place, just to be sure, but there were no signs of ecto-activity. His signature as well as most of the others is gone." She shrugged, missing Vlad's reaction. "I guess the fire burned their ghosts out of existence."

She waited for his emotionless reply, as always, but it never came.

The stoic businessman seemed…relatively unsettled by her words, and by her frankness. He snapped the folder shut, his hand clenching its burnt spine. For a second, some sort of emotion flickered across his expression, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. His jaw clenched tightly.

For a moment, the woman wondered if Vlad was sick with some sort of terminal disease.

Yet then he cleared his throat in an attempt to control his emotions. "That is all I wished to know," he told her. "Thank you, Miss Jones; you're dismissed."

His secretary bobbed her head in acknowledgement, and she left him alone, quietly leaving his office. Vlad gave her no more thoughts. Instead, his steel blue eyes seemed transfixed by the folder in his hands.

He sat down heavily in his leather chair, allowing his expression to drop into shock the moment he knew he was alone. The intimidating, unchallenged business tycoon was at loss for words. For action. For thoughts.

And for once, he couldn't believe it.

_Daniel…is dead? _

His mind just _couldn't _believe it, couldn't wrap around it.

_Danny? Dead? _

It seemed so illogical.

It seemed so…_wrong. _

Yet he knew it might have come to this.

Vlad clenched his fists, a strange, rebellion rising within him.

Denial. _No…_He didn't _want_ to believe it. Danny Phantom was his arch rival, his undefeatable opponent! How could this have happened?

Anger. It was slow, at first, but it spiked through him with unabated claws. _**I**__ was supposed to kill him, _his mind whispered traitorously. _**I **__was! Not the CGIA…!_

His knuckles turned white, and his blue eyes slowly darkened to red. An alien temptation to decimate the Guys in White overcame him, and seconds passed before he could control himself again. The sudden rush left him winded, and his canine teeth had elongated into fangs.

The near fifty-year old snarled, backhanding the Phantom Code folder and sending it flying across the room. The mere sight of it disgusted him, for it was evidence of an unapproved act. _They were told to not let Phantom die under __**any **__circumstances…_His lip curled back in anger, calling on years of self control to not decimate one of his office walls.

Then, almost worriedly, he began to pace back and forth, occasionally stealing glances at the folder. The room was quiet, save from Vlad's obsessive pacing. He stole another glance.

Then another.

All of five seconds passed before he finally retrieved it from the dusty floor, and Vlad carefully bent the cover back to its original shape. He stared at the folder in his hands, both in awe and fear of the power that it held over him. Why couldn't he set it down?

His fangs retracted, and his deep, red eyes slowly faded back to turbulent blue.

Why was he so angry? The sudden slaughter of emotion confused him, skewing his normally infallible logic.

Why did he even _care? _He had _wanted _the boy to die…didn't he?

His regal eyebrows furrowed in a mix between self-disappointment and confusion. In a moment of self-realization, he unfortunately knew the true answer to his questions. And he wasn't happy.

He hadn't expected this.

So what if he had been the one to order for Phantom's arrest? So he had promoted Danny's prolonged detainment. So he knew of the _possibility_ that Daniel was being experimented upon. So he occasionally put in reports to the government that skewed the details.

But he had never ordered for Danny's death.

_Never. _

He couldn't believe it.

His cold, black heart panged with something akin guilt. He'd killed the only person he could half-way call family. His heir apparent.

Vlad closed his eyes, searching for Danny's ghostly aura in the human plane, but he found only a dead link. A strand of panic slowly weaved through his heart, and he tried to find Danny again. Nothing.

He tried again.

Only the whispers of faded cries answered him.

Thus, he slowly opened his eyes. On his face, an expression of shock filtered through his evilness. _No…_

He'd killed the closest person he had to a son.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, one particular nurse was walking through the hospital corridor, hoping that perhaps her boss would see how slowly she walked. Maybe the tight-wad would fire her then.

_Time for a morphine injection… _The nurse was tired that night, and the last place she wanted to be was at the hospital. She was assigned to twenty different patients, Valerie Gray one of them. And considering how strangely the Red Hunter was acting, the nurse wasn't quite sure if she _wanted_ to be there.

You know, those strange celebrities…

She carefully unlocked the door and walked into Valerie's room, shutting the door behind her. And when she turned around, the nurse suddenly got the shock of her life. She gasped, the morphine syringe clattering to the floor. _Oh. My. God._

The bed was empty. The window was opened, and the drapes waved restlessly in the breeze.

The patient had escaped.

* * *

Maddie's eyes shot to the door at the sound of a strange knock. _What in the world…? _Immediately, her eyebrows furrowed. _Someone knocking at __**this **__hour? _Surely, her clock read midnight, and if she wasn't restless, she would have been sleeping.

What kind of person tried to barge down a door at such an unnatural time?

Nevertheless, she got up from the couch as quickly as she could. She didn't want the knock to wake up Jack, and she definitely didn't want to deal with anyone about ghostly matters.

But as soon as she unlatched the locks and opened up the door, all of her original concerns disappeared. She couldn't believe it. Even in the dark, she recognized the figure's outline.

Maddie blinked in shock. "_Valerie_?"

"Mrs. Fenton." The younger woman's voice was hoarse, rough, and desperate. As she moved into the light, Maddie nearly gasped in shock. Valerie's suit was torn and scorched, and her arm was in a sling.

"Valerie! Wha…What are you doing _here_?" Maddie asked in concern. "You need to be in a hospital! You-"

But the Red Hunter cut her off. "-Please, Mrs. Fenton!" Her eyes were bright with tears, and they locked on Maddie's own pair so seriously that the older woman was taken aback.

"I need your help."

In her hand was the Phantom Finder. And it was flashing.

* * *

_Wow…So for the first time ever, I actually read over this story. I don't know what exactly made me do that, aside from pure curiosity, but it left me with a strange feeling. It felt like a soap opera. One seriously, twisted, repetitive soap opera. _

_I think once I complete this story (or whenever I have extra time), I'll be going back and revising it a bit. Fun fun, right? But anyways, chapter 13 completed! Yay! Only about…Actually, I don't know how many more chapters this thing'll have. Depending on which path I take, it'll either be two or ten. :) _

_Clockwork is still my favorite character ever. Seriously. I love the dude. Oh, the possibilities!_

**1.) How was the character transition? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) Was the chapter stagnant in any way? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable, or has it maintained some sense of unexpectedness? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add. :) **

_Ahh...annoying, interrogating questions; it's truly a love/hate relationship. :)_

_Chapter finished: Friday, June 13, 2008 at 6:45 P.M._

_Song inspiration: Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. (Amazing song if you haven't heard it.)_

_Thanks for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review!**


	14. Chapter 14

_Disclaimer: I don't own DP. _

…_You know, I never thought in my whole life I'd ever get this many reviews…Thank you so much for all of the praise and constructive criticism! Oh, and thank you __**ImmortalPhantom22**__ for reviewing every single chapter since I've last updated!_

_I hope you all like this next chapter, and I'm sorry for the long wait._

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 14**

* * *

Maddie stared at the device in Valerie's hand. "The Phantom Finder?" she whispered in disbelief.

"Yes! Now please, Mrs. Fenton, help me!" Valerie knew there wasn't much time, and every second that passed counted against her. She stared at the worn mother, her eyes desperate.

"Valerie, just _what _do you think you're-"

"-I don't have time to argue!" the younger woman interrupted, frustrated. "I need your help. You're the only one with the technology I need to do this."

Maddie looked at her for a second, eyes unreadable. "Technology for _what_?" She stepped away from the door to allow Valerie in, and the hunter gladly took the invitation. The mother instantly noticed how Valerie limped and how her expression grimaced with every step. She helped Valerie to the couch, even though the girl tried to resist help at first. Eventually, she gave in.

"I need to find Danny Phantom." Valerie's tone was resolute and determined.

Maddie couldn't exactly understand why. "Phantom disappeared in the fire," she said as emotionlessly as she could, and she ignored some strange pang in her heart. She added in concern, "And in plus, you are in absolutely _no_ condition to hunt down any-"

"-But I have to!"

"Even if Phantom does still exist, fighting him would be too dangerous! Valerie, you're seriously hurt. You should be back at the hospital."

The Red Hunter gave her a strange expression. "I'm not fighting him, Mrs. Fenton. I'm gonna _help_ him," she said with finality.

Maddie replied without listening, "Ghost hunting is a very-" She cut herself off. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. Suddenly, what Valerie just said caught up to her ears. She blinked in shock. _Did she just…?_

"Help?" the mother echoed. "Did-did I hear you right? _Help_…?"

Valerie nodded, knowing that a ghost hunter trying to help an arch enemy wasn't an everyday thing. "Look, I… was wrong," she admitted guiltily. "Phantom and I were stuck in the same room in that fire. And I actually talked to him." Her eyes were distant. "I _talked_."

A silent moment passed, Maddie waiting for further explanation.

"He used the last of his energy to save me." She looked down and noticed that her hands were shaking from over-exertion. "And I want to do the same. He could have saved himself," Valerie whispered. "He could have just up and flown away and left me behind. But he chose _me_ instead. And I don't want that sacrifice to be in vain."

Maddie gave her a guarded look. "What makes you so sure that he still exists?" she questioned.

Valerie seemed hesitate at that question. "Well," she said, "the Phantom Finder seems to think he's still out there. And…" she trailed off, and with a grimace, she pulled a weapon out from her belt, "…I used this."

She handed it over to Maddie, and the mother took it in her hands. She stared hard at the design, and she ran her hands over the sleek metal. Suddenly, it hit her. "The Specter Shredder?" she whispered.

Valerie nodded. A bit guiltily, she said, "the CGIA modified it and gave it to me. It was the only thing I had to save him."

Maddie looked at the weapon in her hands, unable to tear her eyes away from the stain of soot and ectoplasm. The Specter Shredder must've seen better days, that much was certain.

The Phantom Finder still flashed innocently, and Valerie glanced up at Maddie. "There's still a chance that he's out there," she whispered. "A-and…and I don't normally do this…! But," she desperately struggled for words, "I hate being wrong. I _hate_ it." She tried to blink back tears. "He doesn't deserve to die, Mrs. Fenton!"

Maddie bit her lip, violet eyes turbulent with mixed emotions. What had Valerie seen that had changed her so much? Almost hesitantly, she asked, "…Why save a monster?"

Tense silence hung over them as the older woman waited for an answer.

"Because everybody deserves second chances, Mrs. Fenton," Valerie said, voice soft. "Phantom is no monster."

* * *

With the flip of a switch, the Fenton Lab was washed with light. The new and improved Specter Speeder hovered innocently in the far corner, and Maddie sighed. She looked over at Valerie.

"Is this what you truly want to do?" she asked one last time.

Valerie nodded.

Maddie hesitated for a second. Something in her demeanor conflicted with itself, and it seemed that the older woman was weighing the consequences of the action. "Then…" she said, "I'm coming with you." Valerie turned sharply with wide eyes, and Maddie explained quickly, "Well, I can't possibly let you go in the Ghost Zone _alone_, and in your condition!" She wryly smiled. "I may not be the best mother in the world, but even _I_ know the basics."

The Red Hunter caught a strange thread of emotion in Maddie's voice, yet she tried to ignore it. "Thanks," she replied, some of the anxiety lifting off her chest. She was prepared to expect anything from the Ghost Zone, but with an experienced hunter like Maddie, things were bound to go smoother. She managed a weak smile, and Maddie weakly returned it. It was time to get down to business.

"The Specter Speeder can identify things from our realm," the older woman explained, "but I don't think it can locate specific ghosts." She began pacing around the lab, searching for something unknown to Valerie. "If I could just find my old jumpsuit…" she trailed off, eyebrows furrowed. Maddie opened a small closet off to the side, and there in lied her suit, complete with a utility belt that would rival Batman's.

It would be the first time in a year that she'd worn it.

She took the suit down from its hanger with care, worn hands smoothing the familiar HAZMAT material. Maddie turned to Valerie, "Give me five minutes."

The Red Hunter nodded. And as the mother quickly strode up the stairs, Valerie turned around to face the ghost portal, her enemy and ally. She found herself strangely drawn to it. It's green glow caught her eyes, and she was unable to look away.

It held so many memories.

The last time she'd seen the Fenton Portal, she'd been barely nineteen. But not even two years of memories could dampen the sheer magnificence of such an invention. She felt a little small next to it, especially with her arm in a sling.

It was by far the most intricate portal she'd ever seen. The genetic locks, the size, the _power _that streamed from its frame; it was all overwhelming. She had to crane her neck up to see the ending of the high arched metal that gleamed like the edge of sharp knives.

Fear tingled her senses, like last time.

_Vlad's portal has got __**nothing**__ on this one_, she thought with a distant smile. She could easily get lost in its whispering swirls, promises of intrigue and adventure beckoning to her. Seconds ticked away, and she was unaware of the passage of time. Such was the power of the Ghost Zone.

"I wouldn't get too close," came a voice from the stairwell, "without a good weapon." Valerie snapped out of her contemplative trance and turned around to face the other woman. Maddie stepped off the stairs, her boots clicking rather proudly off the tiles.

There was a distinct difference in her posture and the way she carried herself across the floor. Her chin jutted a bit with that famous Fenton stubbornness, and her eyes sparked with a type of rejuvenated hope. It was such a seemingly simple mission…

…But it was her life.

She finally had her calling.

Ghost hunting had become a soulless, halfhearted pastime to her, but now that she had a reason to return, it gave her back a part of her life she thought was gone forever. A call back to duty, back to the "good ol' days."

And even though it involved Phantom, Maddie didn't care. Well, actually, she _did_, deep down. Something felt so strangely off that it concerned her. But maybe, if they could find this Phantom, providing that he still existed…She'd get her answers. Maybe _he'd_ know where her son was.

Valerie nodded to the older ghost hunter, and Maddie began to take things from the lab tables. Anti-ghost weapons, goggles, and other odds and ends were piled into the Speeder as a safety precaution. The two hunters worked side by side for the first time.

And possibly, if things didn't go well, the last time.

"…Mrs. Fenton?" Valerie spoke up after some time, "The Phantom Finder only locates the existence of his aura; it doesn't hone in on his actual position. We'll need something else to track him down."

Maddie didn't skip a beat. She grabbed onto a boomerang-type weapon and lifted it to show Valerie. "This should work." Her tone was grim, concentrated.

The Red Hunter merely nodded, and the two fell into a silence. An uncertain, almost pride-fought whisper echoed in the quiet lab. "Thank you, Mrs. Fenton. For everything."

The older woman sighed heavily. "Don't thank me yet," she replied. "We haven't even left the lab."

Valerie realized that Maddie had already restocked the first aid and had shut the Specter Speeder's trunk. "Well then," the Red Hunter observed, a small spark of adventure lighting her dampened spirits, "what are we waiting for?"

Maddie's lips twitched into a weak smile. She remembered being that young and adventurous. "Get in the Speeder; I'll be right behind you." Valerie nodded, and she grabbed one last weapon before she climbed in on the passenger side. Her hands clenched onto the handle.

It had been years since she'd tried to navigate such a forbidden world.

The Ghost Zone was so dangerous for humans…Every chance encounter with it was near suicide.

And so when Maddie walked up to the Portal, she steeled her heart. Yet she steeled herself not from its danger, but from it's false promises. The Zone whispered differently to everyone, but when it promised to find her son…

The mother lifted up her chin and stared harshly at the invention, as if to defy its power. Then, she took the boomerang and lifted it to eyelevel. "Find Danny Phantom," she whispered to it, her voice quivering the slightest.

She threw it into the Ghost Zone. It zoomed through the invisible barrier and disappeared into the green swirls. She climbed into the Specter Speeder behind the wheel. Then, with a deep breath, she turned to Valerie, and the younger woman nodded in agreement.

Maddie shifted the gears and slammed down the accelerator with an anxious vigor she hadn't felt in years. Bright, electric energy encased the Speeder, and they shot off into the world of the dead. Doors passed at hyper speed; strange objects and silhouettes whispered deadly temptations. The boomerang trailed ahead of them, a beacon of light in the unearthly sky.

Something told her that she wouldn't come back the same.

* * *

Darkness fell over them.

"_Clockwork," _came the angry whispers, wrapping around his form like chains. Their voices were millions of knives, screeching and piercing. "_**Clockwork…!"**_

The ghost turned to Sam, noting the girl's currently wide-eyed and somewhat scared expression. "Hospital attendants are coming for Danny," he told her calmly. "Follow them, and don't let Danny out of your sight." After a second, he added, "Don't come back for me."

"Why not?" Sam asked automatically, rising to his command.

Clockwork just smiled, sad and accepting. "I've known my fate since the beginning of Time." He turned away from her, his cloak swishing with ghostly energy, and he hid an unreadable expression underneath the dark hood. "Do not concern yourself in things you wouldn't understand, Sam. Stick with Danny; never leave his side. These next hours will be very dark." His words were becoming rushed, as if he wished to tell Sam the wisdom of the ages.

He knew he was running out of Time.

"There is a possibility that help will come, and there is also a great chance that Danny may die." His red eyes shut tightly. "If he survives, his chances of falling to evil are beyond measure." He turned to Sam, eyes pouring with untold emotion and knowledge. "Only love can save him, Sam. _Know _that."

And suddenly, everything became a blur.

The sky crackled with furious power; reverse lightning crashed to the ground and illuminated every drifting door. The spiral staircases of the hospital shook under the Council's anger. Sam dropped to her knees beside Danny, unable to stand the sheer power. She wrapped an arm around one of his, tightly holding on as the winds picked up. The power internally surrounding him was fading; time was once again running out.

Clockwork turned his face to the sky, and slowly, he allowed himself to fall to the power. He had no other choice. The powerful ghost raised his staff above his head, and the energy inside it ticked to a permanent stop.

"_You will pay dearly_," they whispered, "_for defying __**us**_."

And Clockwork felt the dimensions shift against him.

* * *

_Well, with any luck, this chapter wasn't too boring. :) Sorry it took an eternity to update. I was over at my sister's, and I couldn't use her computer. Then, I've also been working on an original piece, and also I've had to do my summer homework…Stupid English teachers…Not that you all want to listen to my excuses. :)_

_I tried to keep Maddie in character as best as I could, especially considering her situation. And Sam…well, I'm hoping I can give her a bigger part in later chapters. With any luck, I've re-instilled some suspense back into this story. _

_Chapter Finished: Friday, July 25__th__, 2008 at 5:17 P.M._

_Song Inspiration: Butterflies and Hurricanes by Muse, and also The First of Me by Hoobastank. (More good songs!)_

_Inspirational Food: A cup of Bigelow's Spiced Chai tea mixed with a packet of Stevia sweetener and a dash of milk. (I'm typing this down so I don't forget it.) :)_

**1.) How was the character transition? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) Was the chapter stagnant in any way? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable, or has it maintained some sense of unexpectedness? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add. :) **

_Thank you so much for reading!_

_Lightning Streak_

**Review Please!**


	15. Chapter 15

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP._

_Thanks for the reviews! I don't have a lot of time to talk right now, so this is gonna be a quickie update!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 15**

* * *

In a blur of space and time, five hospital attendants scaled down the closest staircase. The team flew down like lightning, their smocks and doctor's coats flowing behind him. They landed onto the stone platform where Danny and Sam were.

Aside from the unnatural skin tones of green, blue, and purple, Sam thought they looked relatively human.

"Come on!" one of them shouted to the rest. "We have to get him out of here! His Time is almost up!"

Sam was roughly shoved aside, and she gasped as she nearly fell off the platform. But before she could actually get angry about it, a ghostly woman gave her a hand. "I'm sorry," she said sympathetically. "But no humans are allowed inside the hospital."

The girl recalled Clockwork's words, and she glanced down at Danny. The ghosts were carefully lifting him onto a stretcher, securing his limp body in place. She looked back up at the ghost, her own eyes pleading. "Please, just let me come anyway! I can't leave him!" The ghost lifted her up into a stand.

Sam tried to break away from the pretty ghost's grip, but she couldn't. "I'm sorry," the ghost whispered. "But you can't."

"And why not?" Sam argued, her eyes flashing with both desperation and irritation. She seemed to be questioning authority a _lot _lately. It was almost becoming second nature.

The ghost sighed, her sunlight hair swirling unnaturally around her. She hated telling someone no. "It's against the rules," the nurse said.

The human girl looked at her incredulously, "Who follows the rules anymore?" She tried once again to twist away, and she attempted to reach Danny. The distance was too far, and a medic was in the way. "Please, just let me come with you!"

One of the medics glanced over at the two, then quickly hooked his hands into one of the handles of the stretcher. "Oh, quite arguing!" he ordered. "There's no Time!" He narrowed red eyes at Sam, but she didn't shrink away. "Human, you will follow my orders if you come along, understood?" He didn't look happy, but he seemed to _know _something.

Sam nodded gratefully to him, "Understood."

The ghost woman, rather happy at the doctor's answer, smiled a bit and let go of Sam. Her own red eyes seemed to glow a bit brighter in happiness. "I knew you still had a heart," she whispered, but the doctor ignored the comment.

He turned away, and the team slowly raised the stretcher. Danny's hair softly spun in the wind, his body tightly secured onto the stretcher. "Let's get out of here," the doctor grimaced. He'd never seen the Council this angry before.

He wondered why.

But he had no time to contemplate. He saw the clock racing to a stop over Phantom's body; it was the doctor's only power. And the seconds on the clock were so few… The team spiraled up to the air, their feet transforming into ghostly tails. The nurse, who wasn't needed to help lift the stretcher, held onto Sam's hand and helped her fly.

"We'll take patient 235 to emergency room seventeen," the doctor told his colleagues. "Administer immediate medical care; I want our human specialist on the team as well."

It was common knowledge that Phantom wasn't entirely ghost. And even though Phantom was not a favorite in the Ghost Zone, one had to admire him.

One of the medics looked down at the new patient in pity. "The CGIA really took a beating on him," he observed. He looked up at his boss. "How many more ghosts will arrive in his condition?"

"Few more, if any," the doctor said emotionlessly. "Most of the prisoners couldn't escape…" His dead heart hurt at the knowledge, and he turned to glare at Sam. "Her kind tortured too many to count, and Phantom was their favorite."

Sam glared back at him but said nothing. _I tried to stop it, _she wanted to say._ I tried to break down their door_! she wanted to yell. Yet she knew she couldn't afford to get into an argument, and so she kept her mouth shut.

The human looked back, and she saw Clockwork fade to some other dimension; most likely to the lair of the Council. The air around him was pure black, unfurling and retracting like claws. What was going on? Were they angry with him?

_Why would anyone ever get mad at Clockwork? _Sam turned away, silent concern written in her eyes. Something was definitely wrong, but the time ghost seemed to be the least of her worries...

* * *

The instant Sam walked into the hospital, it felt like everyone stopped and looked at her. Wide, disbelieving eyes watched in silence as she quietly followed the medical team, measuring her up. Whenever she locked gazes with a ghost, the ghost quickly averted his eyes.

Their whispers reached her ears, and she tried hard to ignore them.

"…Is that…?"

"-think it is!"

"_Phantom_?"

"Who's the human…?"

"-_why_ a _human_ being is-?"

"-the Keeper of-"

"I think I know her!"

As she paced rather haphazardly, she suddenly realized she'd crossed into enemy territory unarmed. The thought was a bit startling. She dodged the glances of the ghosts for both her sake and theirs, even as they pointed her out. Some of the ghosts openly insulted her.

Her fists clenched and unclenched subconsciously, as if preparing for a fight if need be.

Still, her darting eyes constantly followed Danny as they crossed the hospital hallways. With Clockwork's power quickly dissipating, the doctors only had a certain amount of time…

A strange tremor shook the Zone's islands. A few older ghosts in the vicinity dropped to the ground in terror, putting their hands over their heads and praying for salvation from the Council's anger.

Unnatural electricity pulsed through the floor, and it streaked static through the hospital's very foundation.

For a moment, even the most enraged ghost stopped ranting in fear. "Something bad is happening," one of the elder ghosts whispered. They turned mistrustful, red eyes to Sam. "The human has angered the Council!"

"Or has Danny Phantom?" another ghost added, "I wouldn't be surprised. His mere existence is an abomination!"

Whispering ghosts decided it was _both_ the fault of Phantom and his human lover, and the silent, searing glares towards Sam continued.

She stuck out her tongue.

The ghost nurse from before came up to her. "Hello," she said quietly, her soft voice echoing. A wraith-like being, she sensed the uneasiness coming from Sam. "I just wanted you to know that even though most ghosts fear Danny Phantom, he's still one of us…" She smiled weakly. "Well, partly."

The human tried to take comfort in her words, but she couldn't. How _could _she? Sam gave the ghost a strange, distrustful look, not quite sure what to make of the situation.

The nurse seemed to understand. "Not all ghosts are against him, Sam." The girl looked up at her, startled. "He was, after all, one of the few to prove that ghosts could protect rather than destroy." Her lips twitched. "I knew a guy like that once."

"How do you know my name?" Sam couldn't help but ask curiously.

The ghost smiled knowingly. "All of the Ghost Zone knows you. You're the keeper of Danny Phantom's heart!" She opened one of her palms, and in her grasp she cradled a ring on a necklace. She gently shoved it at Sam until the human took it. "You might want this."

It was a pretty ring, one that reflected stars when she looked at its black opal stone.

It had been strung around Danny's neck, and the doctor's had given it to the nurse for safe keeping. The nurse knew exactly who the ring belonged to.

"Very few ghosts understand love," she told Sam wisely. "And those who do often lose it." Her soft tone tinged with sadness. "Phantom is a strange case; and should he ever _lose_ love…" She trailed off, red eyes darkened. "He will die."

Sam gave her a strange look. "You make it sound like it's gonna actually happen."

But the ghost just shook her head, as if to clear the negative thoughts. "I never said that," she clarified. "It's just a very big possibility. I've never known a ghost to rest so uncertainly on the brink of love and loss."

She held out her hand, and Sam instinctually shook it as a peace offering. The ghost smiled brightly, "Vietnam War, 1973. Hospital nurse for the front lines when my camp was attacked."

Sam was a bit taken aback by the sudden change in subject, but she quickly replied, "Ghost protests, 2008. I'm still alive, but sometimes I wish I wasn't." She gave her a wry smile, and the pretty ghost smiled back.

"Many ghosts would kill to still be alive," she said wistfully. "You are very lucky, Sam, to understand the meaning of breath. When you're alive, you can _change_. You can change the world and make a difference." She smiled sadly. "You can't do that back here." _Please don't take my words for granted…_

The girl just shrugged but somewhere felt sympathy for the nurse. "Well, I obviously can't make _that_ much change," she replied, "if I couldn't even save Danny from the CGIA." Her heart tore painfully at his name.

For a while, neither spoke. Drifting, suspicious conversations reached their ears, and the less friendly ghosts pointed out Sam like a stain.

A pager began beeping from the nurse's waist. She turned it upwards and saw the number. "I'm needed for an operation," she explained to Sam. "Stay out of the patient hallways, and I think you'll be fine. Even if you _are _a human." She weakly smiled, and then she materialized into the darkness.

Which left Sam by herself.

* * *

Time passed.

From behind the glass windows, Sam watched the ghost doctor work on Danny. Strange, inhuman devices slipped from their compartments at the doctor's command, spinning every which way. And just when the doctor brought out a rather large syringe of pure ectoplasm to jam it into Danny's wrist vein, Sam looked away, wincing.

She couldn't stand to watch the operation, to see bones set and muscles stitched. She couldn't stand to see Danny poked and prodded once more, even though this time it was beneficial.

The young woman sharply inhaled, feeling the pain which linked her to Danny. It acted up every time something bad happened to him, that psychic connection. Somewhere, he was in pain…

Her fists clenched, and she squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

_I'm sorry._

Yet Sam couldn't feel Danny back, as was the norm for the past years. Maybe he'd subconsciously shut off his side of the link? Her hands shook as she attempted to rein control of the strange feeling; a perfected talent.

Violet eyes turned back to the shut door of emergency room seventeen, an internal pull whispering for her to sneak in. But what good would it do? There was nothing she could do, except stand and watch awkwardly.

She had to distract herself.

It was unfortunately once said that curiosity killed the cat, and Sam was a rather big cat person. She looked around, knowing that she'd go insane if confined to a mere waiting room. The hospital was so big, so mysterious…

…Even if it was only a way to distract herself from Danny, she wanted to disregard the nurse's words. And so she did.

_Please, be okay Danny…_

As she walked through the hospital, she saw many familiar faces, all of whom turned up their nose in disgust or hissed, baring sharp teeth. Some of the inhabitants were…less than pleasant, rather grotesque in appearance.

The entire building was dimly lit, shadowy, and over-all creepy. She knew the place had to stay undercover, but couldn't they have at least given it a better atmosphere? The air was stale from centuries hidden away. The moving darkness surrounding it was unnerving, to say the least.

Sam tried not to show her uneasiness, but something told her to stay on guard. The hair on the nape of her neck stood straight up; a chill shuddered down her spine.

"Well, well, if it isn't the Ghost Child's little _keeper_," a sneering voice echoed across the room. She turned around and came face-to-face with the last person she wanted to see. _Oh no._

_Skulker._

The ghost's green eyes seared through the darkness like angry flames, his hair swirling behind him with invisible power. He gradually materialized out of the shadows like a predator on the prowl, and he smiled a horrible, unnatural smile.

He looked different in some way, but the human wasn't sure how.

Sam took a cautious step backwards, positioning herself into a stable defense. Her darting eyes searched the hall for a weapon. Skulker laughed, and other ghosts close by turned to see the noise.

"You can't fight me, girl," he taunted rather happily. "You're in ghost domain now."

"I've beaten you _before_ in ghost domain." Sam's violet eyes hardened. "And I can do it again."

Skulker wasn't phased; his retracted his metallic arm into a machete. "You're backed up against a wall. Cornered prey is dead prey."

"But cornered prey often becomes unpredictable," Sam shot back. "And the doctors said something about this being a 'truce zone' anyway."

"So? Who ever follows the rules?" Skulker replied easily, unknowingly quoting Sam's own words. Nevertheless, he frowned and lowered his machete. "You and your lover deserve a worthy death in my book."

"We're not lov-!" Sam began to say out of habit, but then she stopped. Skulker hesitated in his tracks at her words. _Actually…_Sam's eyebrows furrowed, and she smiled ironically. "I guess me and Danny _are_ lovers." Stalling for time, she shrugged casually. "Who knew?"

Skulker rolled his eyes. He personally debated whether or not to tell her that it'd been obvious for years, but he figured it wasn't worth it.

Humans.

They were so dense sometimes, honestly.

The closer Skulker got, the more Sam could study him. Eyes narrowed, she realized with a start that his armor was incredibly dull. Almost un-shined black metal. Shallow cuts in the metal plates shined brightly in the available light like…scars. His powerful form seemed less intimidating than her memories allowed.

His right eye lens was cracked, a glassy spider web.

All in all, he didn't look too healthy.

"Why are you here?" he demanded of her. He lifted a glowing machete to her neck; she lifted her chin in defiance. The truce had seemingly slipped the ghost's mind. Skulker rationalized, "For if you're here, the Ghost Child can't be too far." He turned his horrible eyes to her. "Tell me where he is."

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you," Sam told him firmly.

The hunter frowned. The machete always worked for a scare tactic. Why wasn't it working on her? Had the CGIA really stolen _that_ much from him? He narrowed his eyes. "Phantom must be dealt with quickly and efficiently. The moment the CGIA gets wind of his survival, we'll all go down. He _must_ be killed."

"And why is Danny the one who gets the blame?" Sam demanded.

"Easy," Skulker said. His scarred, twisted expression suddenly frowned as he looked down at his own arm. "He's the reason the CGIA destroyed so many ghosts."

"Oh really?" Sam crossed her arms, narrowing her gaze. She couldn't hide the bitter sarcasm in her voice. "So it's _completely _his fault that ghosts are attacking human beings? Well gee, _that's_ obvious. Why not blame the birds for making it rain?"

The hunter growled, irritation smoldering in his black heart. His terrible eyes flashed as he shot back, "The CGIA would not have been formed if Phantom hadn't ruined it for us ghosts!"

"And who's fault do you think that is?" Sam wanted to scream in frustration. "It's _your _fault he ever drew media attention! It's _your _fault the CGIA formed!"

"The Ghost Council is on our side," Skulker attempted to intimidate her. His machete transformed back to his hand, vicious claws inches from Sam's neck vein. She craned her neck to avoid the fatal talons, yet she showed no fear. "Phantom is the reason why the Ghost Zone is now in danger."

"But he's not even conscious!" Sam argued, voice rough with sadness. Those moments of panic when he'd been lying on her floor in a pool of blood came back to her. "He's barely _alive_!" Her tone cracked on her words. "The doctors don't even know if he'll survive or not!"

At that, Skulker retracted his claws. _This is news…_ "Really?" he asked, eyebrow raised. His face took on a thoughtful expression. "No wonder I smell the panic off the doctors."

That horrible smile returned. "Maybe this whole situation will resolve itself." He shrugged and released Sam, who nearly stumbled back to the wall. "It's not exactly what I had in mind, but I always did enjoy watching a good, long death. Especially for Phantom." He began to walk away. "Too bad I won't be the one to finish him off."

Sam's eyes narrowed angrily, and she tried to knock away his arm's power system, but he slammed her into the wall before she could. _Whoosh. _His power knocked the wind straight from her lungs.

_Thud_.

Her head cracked painfully against the stone wall, and she crumpled like a doll onto the stone floor. Sam cried out in muffled pain, the sudden darkness in her mind split in every direction, into a million dots.

She tried to lift herself up, but the pain was too much.

She blacked out. Her vulnerable form relaxed against the cold wall, the hallways unnatural and silent. The hospital was immune to humans as a safeguard, built to withstand more than ghostly entities. "Pathetic human being," he sneered at her, but her unresponsive form was strangely unsatisfying. Had he killed her?

No, she was still breathing, his sensors revealed. He flexed his powerful, metallic fingers in assurance that she hadn't, in fact, messed up the wiring. That Manson girl was always trouble.

She made too much sense sometimes.

"I suppose Phantom will be too damaged for a pelt," he distantly thought aloud, just to see if Sam would react…But somewhere deep within, he felt something akin to guilt rise at his own words and promises. Danny Phantom was one of his more favorite prey; an honorable type. Fair and square was his fight.

Honestly, it was hard to find that anywhere.

He supposed, according to ghost rules, that Sam Manson belonged to Phantom. By damaging her, he was violating the strict honor code upon which he acted. And by attacking Phantom's _mate_, he had indirectly challenged the halfa.

But right now, Phantom couldn't fight back.

Skulker glanced down at the human girl and frowned. _How dishonorable…_He sighed tiredly, border lined irritated at the turn of events, realizing he couldn't just leave her there.

Not to mention that if the doctors saw her, he'd be in serious trouble. Stupid rules and truces.

He looked both ways before picked up the human and throwing her over his left shoulder like a potato sack. Skulker attempted not to hurt her any more than he had to, but his irritation with the girl made his movements more clipped and rough. He considered her lucky that he was even honorable enough to help.

The ghost laid her down on the first available couch, unceremoniously dumping Sam onto the soft cushions. His scanners stated she'd been merely knocked out with a twenty percent chance of concussion. No one would have to know, right?

Snarling quietly in annoyance, he transported to another hospital wing, subconsciously materializing into the Intensive Care, where he'd once been located.

He looked back down at his right arm, checking his power systems. Nearly forty-five percent.

He was still healing from his _own_ run in with the CGIA, after all.

Skulker glanced distantly at the emergency rooms and shook his head. His horrible expression no longer seemed so horrible. "Such a formidable opponent," he voiced in grudging admiration.

"It is unfortunate that he still must die."

* * *

_Ack! Filler chappie! I apologize ahead of time…And yet, why is it so long? I hope this chapter was at least bearable; I know it wasn't exactly suspense road, but it was needed to set the stage for something else. I haven't read over it yet...(insert wince of apology.) I'll probably come back to smooth the writing over._

**1.) Despite the slight rush, how was the character transition? Choppy or smooth?**

**2.) Are the characters still characters, or are they wooden and need more work? **

**3.) Any comments on word choice and word flow? **

**4.) Was the chapter stagnant in any way? **

**5.) Is this story still interesting, or has it lost its suspense factor? **

**6.) Is the plot predictable, or has it maintained some sense of unexpectedness? **

**7.) Any suggestions you might want to add. :) **

_**Chapter finished**: Friday, August 1, 2008 at 7:00 P.M._

_**Chapter Inspiration**: Headlock by Imogen._

_Thank you all so much for reading!_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review!**


	16. Chapter 16

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP. _

_Yay! I apologize for the short chapter; I'm working on another scene that corresponds with this one, but I've had this much done for so long…I figured it wasn't fair to just hold on to it. So technically, chapter 16 will be in two parts. _

_Thank you all so much for the reviews!_

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 16**

* * *

"_You have failed."_

He could already hear the words, even though they had not yet been spoken. They echoed everywhere he turned and resounded off the walls. The ghost could not escape the harsh statement. Perhaps he just could not escape anything anymore.

The room itself was dark and imposing. Shadows of unimaginable power swirled through every stone, every door. It was something akin to a dungeon, although less restrictive.

And it was there that Clockwork stood, awaiting his judgment.

The Elder before him had materialized into the room not but minutes before, his own anger clearly evident by the reddened static in his entrance. The cloak which hid most of the ghost's features swirled with inexistent wind. He stared Clockwork down, only his red eyes visible from underneath the hood, and he silently demanded the respect due to his station.

The Master of Time civilly bowed, careful to maintain an emotionless mask.

"Clockwork," acknowledged the biting, disappointed tone of the Elder. His voice was low, deep, and echoing. Powerful. Undefeated and unquestioned. It rumbled the stones of the floor and shook the walls. "So nice of you to finally join us."

The younger ghost straightened his posture and lifted his chin proudly. "This has been the first summon in decades. I naturally have no reason to remain in the presence of Elders."

"And I _naturally _have no reason to interrogate one of my fellow Council members," the Elder retaliated, his anger icy and controlled. "As of this moment I am the only one willing to do so. I have gotten multiple complaints over you, Clockwork. And lately, the paperwork has begun to pile up." His red eyes narrowed. You have severely disappointed us."

Clockwork said nothing.

"Do you realize," the Elder continued, eyes searing straight through his colleague, "that there are ten others, more angry than myself, just _waiting_ for me to give the command." His red eyes narrowed. "Any command which will break your control of the Time stream."

"I realize this," Clockwork replied.

Challenging him once more, the Elder declared, "The rest of the Council has demanded for your immediate termination."

"I have foreseen this as well," Clockwork answered calmly.

"I know you have." The Elder's lips twitched. "And I also know that you intend to escape me."

The Master of Time shrugged, seemingly unhindered. Underneath his cloak, he clenched his fists. "It is… a possibility."

The Elder lifted his bony hand up, and Clockwork's staff materialize in his grasp. It's proud metal immediately rusted, rotting from the inside out. He threw the aged rod aside, but before it could hit the wall, it became dust.

Clockwork barely hid a grimace. His powers, that which made him a Master of Time, slowly drained from his body.

"My boy, the time stream is no match for knowledge itself. What you know is mere possibility and estimation. What I know is absolute _fact_." He smiled openly. "You can not escape from me, nor can you escape due punishment."

"Then you know what will happen to my charge?" Clockwork asked curiously.

The Elder's eyes flashed. "This is more important than the mere survival of a half-human charge, Clockwork. Has your sight narrowed that much?"

"Then you do_ not_ know what will happen."

"Do not challenge me, _boy," _came the replied growl. "You try my patience as it is, and you know the extent of my power. Knowledge is limited to the present, and it grows over time."

He shook his head in disappointment. "Clockwork, your ability allows you to masquerade as an older ghost, but yet you are still the youngest member on the council, and it painfully shows." He growled. "Do you not realize the full consequence of your actions?"

Clockwork raised a brow. "My years of experience and power have taught me-"

The Elder snorted. "Do not wave your years at me, for they _hardly_ rival mine. As a matter of fact, I gave you your powers, or have you forgotten? With all of this…_foresight_ and possibilities, perhaps the past has slipped your mind."

"I never forget the past," Clockwork replied adamantly.

"Then why do you neglect your given duties?" The older ghost seemed to have found the true source of his anger. "Why do you forget your place?"

"I have not neglected my duties; I have begun to fulfill them. My duty is to protect my charge."

"And recklessly endanger the Ghost Zone and Human Realm alike in doing so?" The Elder rolled his eyes in frustration. "Where are your priorities, boy! I thought I trained you better than this!" The older ghost rounded on him.

He continued, "The consequences go beyond the human realm, Clockwork! You have severely jeopardized the Ghost Zone, and you have also compromised the safety of your charge."

"_You have failed_." The Elder's voice was a subhuman growl of clicks, a snarling dialect forgotten by modern ghosts. It may have even sent fearful shivers down Clockwork's spine, had he not foreseen it.

Even as the older ghost attempted to maintain a normal language, so angry was he, Clockwork could not easily forget his words.

"Because of your unusual loyalty to this…Danny Phantom, you have compromised the Ghost Zone's existence! You have created a pandemonium that can not be avoided! Why did you not allow Phantom to die?" But before Clockwork could answer, the Elder hounded him again. "The CGIA, now powered by Phantom's energy, have the opportunity to completely destroy us! And the moment they catch wind that Phantom still exists, they will tear apart the entire dimension to find him! They will wage a war that will devastate us!"

"It's only a possibility," Clockwork offered.

"No." The Elder's eyes narrowed. "It is fact." The Master of Time stiffened.

"The CGIA will lock on his DNA, and they will come for him. It is only a matter of time, and when they do…" The ghost snarled. "I may just throw you to them."

The Elder ticked the reasons off with his fingers. "Because Phantom still exists, the CGIA's coming. Our citizens are revolting. The human realm is in an uproar. His existence has brought unnecessary suffering; it was for him that the CGIA formed. And in order to maintain both worlds' existence, he must die."

"His death would be a narrow-minded course of action."

The Elder sighed. "Then tell me, what could _possibly_ be so important about this Danny Phantom? Do you not understand he was _meant_ to die?"

"He is my charge," Clockwork answered.

"But you have endangered our world!"

"_No_," the younger ghost argued, trying not to sound too much like a rebelling teenager. "I have given our world an opportunity. An opportunity which, if followed through, could bring peace among us!"

"And how many _other_ possibilities were there?" Elder drawled. "How many ultimately lead to our demise? Do you forget that often life takes unwanted turns?"

"But I-"

"-I _know_!" the older ghost interrupted, both in anger and frustration. "I know what your aim is, and I know that it cannot be done!" Glancing over at his prisoner, he forced himself to sigh and relax his shoulders. Impatiently, he attempted to explain, "Clockwork, a utopian world does not exist. It has _never _existed. And it will never exist until the end of time. What you have attempted was foolish."

"What I attempted was worth a try," Clockwork bit back.

"Then your actions were sloppy, the consequences repulsive." He sighed heavily. "You have failed me for the last time, Clockwork. I gave you your power, and I can take it away."

Silence fell among the two, dark and regretfully turbulent.

"But I am Time, and Time is Clockwork," the young ghost replied. His lips lifted into a weak, ironic smile. "We can not be separated."

"Then who were you before you died?" the Elder asked, albeit sadly. His hands glowed as he lifted them.

"I was no one."

"Then No One you shall be." And the declaration was final.

The Elder's power consumed him.

* * *

A quick look out the side window affirmed her worst fears. "Where are we?" Valerie asked in concern. She looked back down at the map she'd drawn during their escapades across the Ghost Zone, and it seemed they had veered far off from their original calculations.

There were no longer any islands, any doors, or any…anything. Just unnatural, green sky. Like space. Strange fog encased the Specter Speeder. It set Valerie's nerves on edge, and it made her wonder how Mrs. Fenton managed to remain so calm.

"The Phantom Finder indicates that we're not far," Maddie said optimistically, trying to hide the anxious dread in her tone. "Wherever we are, we're close to our destination." She inwardly hoped that the Phantom Finder was wrong.

Valerie sighed, teal eyes worried. Her logic screamed at her to return home; her sense of obligation demanded she continued. "Are there any other scanners we can turn on just as a precaution?"

The mother shook her head, and Valerie's lips fell to a frown. "Then how do we even know where we're going, or how far into the Zone we are?" the younger woman muttered in frustration. Impatient and still injured, her ability to accept the world had become nonexistent.

"We don't," Maddie replied, simple and honest.

Valerie's head turned sharply. "Pardon?" she asked in disbelief. At the mother's expression, she knew the truth was not going to be pleasant.

Maddie admitted reluctantly, "Well, I once sent laser devices out here to measure the Ghost Zone's boundaries." As she talked of her invention, some sort of brightness lit her eyes. "They worked at the speed of light and could map out dimension ends. That was three years ago, and they haven't returned yet. My computer was still receiving data up to last night."

"What's the computer say about it?"

"It states the Ghost Zone is infinite."

"Well then, what happened to the computer?"

The mother's expression hardened, and the brightness faded away. "I went into the lab and saw that the entire program was terminated. I tried accessing the program, but the hard drive stated that it didn't exist. I think…something interfered with it."

"You sure it wasn't Mr. Fenton?" Valerie joked half-heartedly. Maddie's lips twitched upwards, but she answered:

"Couldn't have been. I had Tucker trace the termination back to its original source. It came from somewhere within the Ghost Zone…"

Even the thought made Maddie shiver. To know there was intelligent life, somehow deflecting her every move…

In all honesty, she had no idea how truly powerful a ghost was.

Just then, a small scanner within the Specter Speeder beeped. "Real world item detected," came a robotic voice. A virtual map of purple latitudes and longitudes blinked above the steering wheel. Something nearby had set it off.

And it was strangely in the shape of a ring.

The Phantom Finder blared a straight beep, signaling a lock-in. Valerie's anxious gaze looked out the windshield, thoroughly confused when she saw nothing ahead. "What's going on?"

Maddie looked down at the Real World Scanner and scrunched her eyebrows. "I'm not quite sure." She glanced back up in worry. A bad feeling. Something was off...

The Specter Speeder blared wildly in an alarm. Dimensional shift.

"The scanners are saying there's something around here, but-"

Suddenly, the entire Ghost Zone twisted.

* * *

_Hey, everyone! Can't talk long; hope you liked it and that I didn't disappoint you! I'm sorry if the chapter is slightly rushed!_

**1.) Character comments? Out of touch or right on target?**

**2.) Plot? Any apparent holes, bad scenes, or general criticism?**

**3.) Chapter effect? Attention keeper or a yawn?**

**4.) Overall story effect?**

**5.) Any other comments? :)**

_Song Inspiration: Unintended by Muse_

_Food Inspiration: Gingerbread cake. :)_

_Updated: Friday, September 19, 2008 at 8:00 PM._

**Please Review! :D**

_Thanks for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer: No own DP._

_Once again, thank you all for the reviews, and constructive criticism, and praise! I feel like my writing has improved quite a bit since I started this story, and I really appreciate all the help. Thank you thank you!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 17**

* * *

For one split second, time blurred uneasily. And then just as it appeared, the blur smoothed out, and time continued.

_Skip…skip…_

_Beat._

"I'm getting a pulse!" cried out the medic triumphantly. He turned red eyes to the ghost technology, reading the monitor's words. He looked back down at his patient, and suddenly his victorious smile fell. "Wait, that's the ectoplasm pump…"

"Aren't humans supposed to have a heartbeat, or they die?" another rookie medic asked.

"Well yeah," the first helper replied. "But this guy's only half…Maybe he doesn't need a heart?"

The doctor, floating across the room, turned around. "He's been in his ghost alternate form so long it's taken over as his dominant side, most likely for pure survival." He sighed, frustrated. "I've been trying to restart his human half all morning. Nothing has worked."

Silent contemplation overtook the rookie. "Do you think it's possible he's a full ghost…?"

The doctor froze. "Don't even suggest that," he snapped. "If his human half died, he would not be able to maintain a stable ghost form." _And if he were a permanent ghost, we would have more trouble on our hands than we could handle…_

"Geez," the medic shrugged. "I's just saying. No big deal."

"That's what you think," the doctor retorted. "But I doubt the Ghost Council would agree." He turned to the monitors, reading the several codes. "Now go make yourself useful and hand me that clipboard over there."

The medic did as he was told, albeit reluctantly.

He looked down at Phantom and nearly winced. "Poor kid…" The man, really more of a boy, lied unconscious on the hospital bed, vulnerable. Several wires twisted from machines and disappeared into the blue veins of the boy's arms.

With the steady supply of ectoplasm, the ghost was repairing his most serious wounds. Slowly, medics documented every reconnected nerve and vein, noting that Phantom's powerful aura had slowly risen one-tenth of a degree, which was both a relief and a disaster.

For every human blood drop within his body, there were ten more of ectoplasm and counting. This was, of course, bad.

Within the Ghost Hospital Labs, the doctor had assigned Phantom's case to one human specialist. And that one human specialist was very frustrated. For the third time that day, he dropped a sample of Danny Phantom's cells into a vial of human blood.

Carefully, anxiously, he watched the reaction. Would it work this time?

Thirty seconds. From red to green…

Failure.

Growling in utmost displeasure, the scientist nearly slammed the vial into the wall. _He's converting blood into ectoplasm faster than I can convert it back! _His failure to cure the problem set him on edge, and his anger lit the room with a dark red glow.

He started again, this time adding double the amount of human blood. And this time, it converted to ectoplasm twice as fast.

_Not good, not good at all…_

"At this rate," he muttered worriedly under his breath, "Phantom may just remain a ghost..."

According to his notes, Phantom's body was in a state of hyper-adrenaline. Subconsciously, he had adapted his ghost side to be dominant to survive the CGIA and its numerous experiments. Which meant, logically, that once Phantom sensed it was safe, he could revert back to a human dominance.

Unfortunately, Phantom had never quite been logical…

As his healing process began, his cells mass-produced straight ectoplasm without a reverting link, which was bad. If it continued…the mid-transformation genetic links would be broken.

Something drastic had to be done. And it had to be done fast.

* * *

Somewhere in Amity Park's outskirts remained a simple building. It was dark inside, power cut off from the nearby fire.

Disbelief. Anger. Humiliation.

Agent K of the Guys in White stood rigid as the finer of his two superiors, Agent O, royally chewed him out.

A Phantom Finder, one of the last ones, beeped incessantly.

Someone hadn't done their job, and he was in serious trouble …

"I am _demanding _an explanation!" Agent O snarled. "How dare you not initiate an internal lockdown of the premises! How _dare_ you not complete your duties! That fire would have destroyed Phantom! Now, he's managed to escape, and God knows what he'll do next!"

"Sir, I had no choice. The tech team stated that Valerie was still-"

"-And sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the greater good." Agent O's black eyes narrowed. "Phantom is still in existence, and I know for fact that he'll soon seek revenge." Before K could reply, his furious superior turned to another agent. "Call up the news channels," he said. "We have to alert the public that Phantom is still at large, and ready to attack."

"But, Sir! The CGIA has already been destroyed!" Agent K argued. "We no longer have the resources to wage war against a level 13 ghost!"

Agent O, a lieutenant, turned back to face him. "And our experiments left him a level six," he responded unfeelingly. "If we regroup now and take him down while he's vulnerable, we'll never have this problem again."

"How do we know that Phantom deserves to be destroyed?"

The lieutenant abruptly stopped in his steps. "Agent K." Pure disbelief and malice coated his voice. "If I ever hear you ask that question again, you will be dishonorably court-marshaled, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir. But I just-"

"This discussion is _over_, agent."

"Yes, sir." Agent K watched as his superior walked away, body tensed. Something in O's words made him angry, but he did not know why. He knew what they were doing was wrong. He knew Agent O was wrong about Phantom.

But he shook his head to clear his thoughts and continued onwards, suppressing his conscience.

"_**That fire would have destroyed Phantom!"**_

Agent K wondered how his superior could have possibly known that.

* * *

In accordance with the laws of physics, trans-dimensional travel was impossible. Or, at least it was on earth. Two ghost hunters were caught in a time warp, unaware of the CGIA's actions.

Spinning, twirling, colors of black and green overwhelmed every sense. Panic. Fascination. The moving tunnel slowed to a halt, and the currents froze. For one precious second, Maddie and Valerie were suspended by air.

And suddenly, everything dropped down. Black hole. Darkness.

A pulse reverberated through every fiber of their being, warping every molecule and electrifying every nerve, and then everything was silent. Moments passed slowly, as if in decision. Dimensional shifts were a rather exhausting, terrifying experience. Neither wanted to admit how shaken they were.

"Are you alright, Valerie?" Maddie asked instinctively, always the mother. She glanced over at the younger girl in concern. Valerie held her injured arm in pain, having been jolted by the shift. Other than that, she appeared unharmed.

"Yeah, I think so." The Red Hunter slowly let go of her arm, clenching and unclenching her hand. "I mean, I can't say that I've ever-"

"-_Real world item detected_," interrupted a robotic voice. The virtual map expanded across the dashboard, searching. A ring. Flat lining, the Phantom Finder stole their attention. It had locked in on Phantom's exact location, and the two ghost hunters suddenly spared each other the same glance.

They'd found him.

The two stared out through the windows of the Specter Speeder, and one of the most intimidating buildings glared back. Valerie's face tinged green as her disoriented eyes traveled over the spiral staircases and strange architecture. Nevertheless, she steeled herself. "What is this place?"

Maddie found her binoculars and adjusted them to an appropriate distance. She lifted them to her face, eyes concerned. "I don't know," she admitted. "It appears…" her voice trailed off, narrowing her vision to see more clearly through the windows. Something strange, like surprise, gripped her voice. "It appears to be some central agency for injured ghosts." Her eyes furrowed incredulously and handed the binoculars to Valerie. "A hospital?"

Valerie took it into consideration. "But how could Phantom have gotten here?" She adjusted the device to a higher magnification. The hunter pushed a button, converting to power level measurements, and her teal eyes narrowed dangerously.

The fighter within her knew she had just walked into a lion's den of ghosts. And many were quite powerful.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Something inside Maddie hoped for a negative response.

Valerie shrugged, but her eyes steeled in determination. "Hell, why not?" She set down the binoculars and picked up a handy blaster. "If we run into trouble, I'd be more than happy to give it to 'em."

Red eyes from every direction suddenly glanced their way. Ghosts near the hospital windows, ghosts flying up the spiral stairs, ghosts on the roof…

It was tense and silent. And it was time to move out.

"Now or never?" Maddie asked.

Valerie powered up a ghost gun, battle-hardened eyes uncertain. Her arm hurt, her lungs hurt, and her heart was unsteady. But something, a feeling, a calling, forced her forward. "Now or never."

* * *

On the other side of the ghost hospital, an uproar suddenly struck the ghosts. They all knew it the moment Valerie and Maddie appeared in the dimension. They could feel it. They could taste it.

And they feared it.

Immediately the ghosts tensed up, silent. They cautiously awaited an appearance, a sign of their impending doom. The Red Hunter was never merciful. As was the other entity- they eventually recognized her as Mrs. Fenton, the smarter of the two parental Fentons. But Valerie Gray was _one _human to be feared.

"The Red Hunter," came an eerie, scared whisper. Her name was suddenly upon the lips of all before them

"The Red Hunter?"

"She's here?"

"The Red Hunter has come to destroy us all!"

And somewhere deep within the hospital, unfocused, green eyes opened. Danny's hands gripped tight onto the bed rails. "_V-Val_…" he whispered to the ceiling. Recognition lit his face with an undying terror. As his breath fought to power a dead heart, something within him acknowledged her strange ecto-tech signature. _Please run…_

_Please, Val…Something bad…_

His lips moved with words he had no strength to say.

…_Happening…_

And he fell back, unable to fight much longer. His accelerated breath triggered the sensors, and soon doctors flew in to check in on him.

They found him thrashing.

* * *

The uneasy uproar teased at Sam's deepest conscience, pulling her from her dreams. Strange whispers from distant places…Her heartbeat ached something awful, her head felt even worse…

…what had happened?

Her hand groped for the back of her head, where fingertips brushed against a painful bump. The sudden lightning bolt of pain forced her eyes open, and she quickly retracted her hand, hissing in pain. _Ouch._

Best not to try that again.

Bleary eyed and slightly disoriented, her memories slammed back into her head. Flying images of the hospital, Clockwork, Danny…and then Skulker. Everything froze. _Oh God. _

Suddenly, the biggest bout of frustration and anger tore into Sam's heart, and she groaned into the couch's pillow. She slammed her fist down, shameful tears prickling her eyes. _I made such an idiot out of myself…! _But, above all, she felt as if she'd let Danny down.

Time-disoriented and awake, Sam forgot to wonder how she'd ended up on a couch. Sam could not remember the entirety of her fight with Skulker, mostly because of the hit to her head. And to her further surprise, she'd awoken on a rather comfy couch. Her eyebrows furrowed. How had that happened?

She didn't know, she didn't want to know, and at that particular moment, she didn't particularly care. Her mind instead searched for Danny. Her sleep-worn eyes narrowed for clarity as she attempted to sit up. Dizzy.

Her determination to remain awake was her only saving grace.

_Where am I? _She was still unfamiliar with the layout of the hospital, and only fleeting memories of it graced her mind. She remembered the major halls she'd walked through. If only she could find Danny.

"_**Stick with Danny; never leave his side. These next hours will be very dark."**_

The human girl staggered unsteadily, using the walls for support. She had the worst headache, and as she stumbled along, desperately trying to rein in her vision, her fragile grip on reality slipped.

She bumped into a ghost who growled in malice. "_Human!_" he sneered, disgusted. "_What have you done_?" He roughly pushed her away, cold hands stinging her warm skin. Oh, if only this wasn't a truce zone… "_Do you honestly intend to annihilate us_?"

Sam had not the time to be offended as she rebalanced herself. Her eyes narrowed in confusion. Something was happening all throughout the hospital, and this ghost knew what it was. "What do you mean, 'annihilate you?'"

The angry ghost pointed out the window.

Without grace or care, she ran up to the stoned wall. There, she looked out the window, and her gaze landed on two figures. Something in Sam's heart snapped in fear

There were Maddie and Valerie, surrounded by dozens of ghosts. While neither faction sought to draw their weapons first, the tension was obvious. The ghost hunters cautiously walked through the pathway between the split ocean of ghosts. They weren't supposed to be there.

Or were they?

"_You see what you have done?" _the ghost demanded. "_You've led hunters to the center of the Ghost Zone! They will not hesitate to destroy us as soon as they have disposed of Phantom!"_

"How did they find us?" Sam whispered under her breath. She eyed the weapon in Valerie's hand, noting how the Red Hunter refrained from attacking the surrounding ghosts. They hadn't arrived to fight, despite the ghost's ignorant ranting.

"_We can't trust them!" _the ghost continued on. "_They'll tear us apart while we're down and use our remains to power their weapons!" _Blue ectoblasts formed at his fingertips in self-defense. "_We must destroy them first!_"

He was ignored. Sam's eyes tracked their every move in apprehension, unsure if the hunters really _could _be trusted. She clearly remembered their hate for Phantom. She remembered how often she'd bandaged Danny once he returned from a one-sided fight.

"_**There is a possibility that help will come…"**_

_Clockwork couldn't have meant them. _They obviously did not mean to attack the other ghosts, but what if they only wanted to fight Phantom? Something cold sunk into her mind, terrifying her. What if they were representing the CGIA's last attempt to kill him? Her breath caught. _Oh no. _

Without further reasoning, Sam abruptly turned to Danny's room, slipping on the cold tiles. Her eyes reflected her fear. He needed her, and she needed him. If they really were coming to destroy Phantom, there would be little she could do...

She'd give everything to keep him safe.

The ghost she'd left behind stared after her, red eyes calculating and afraid.

* * *

Deep within the darkness, bordering the planes of life and death, Danny drifted. Unexplainable qualms tinged his mind. They pulsed from his heart, coursing to every last vein. He felt Sam's presence near him, but it did little to calm him. She was in danger. Val was in danger.

And all because of him.

"_Sam…" _he fruitlessly attempted to whisper, but his voice was useless. As his body repaired itself, it left him weak. He vaguely heard the door open and close, and his every sense was filled with the presence of _her._

"Danny?" Immediately, Sam knew that something was wrong. She could feel his own turmoil. His form was as still as death, but pain and fear flickered across his face in a grimace.

Something was off; she couldn't place it.

Cool fingertips caressed his forehead and brushed away his bangs, and Sam's whispering voice reached his ears. "Don't worry." She knew not what founded his worries, but she could understand all the same. It was that connection. She took his good hand and squeezed it gently, wishing away her warmth to him. "I'm here."

Sam neglected to tell him that Valerie and Maddie had arrived as well, but Danny knew better. He could feel the apprehension coming off of her in waves. Why was she so worried about them while _he_ was the true threat?

Something black leeched into his mind, and he discerned it to be different from mere darkness. No, it was something else. And whatever it was, it scared him. It was emotionless, it was inhuman. "Please, Sam…"

Darker than sin itself, it was slowly poisoning him. A void.

_Please leave…while you can… _But he was too selfish to let her go, even in his mind. He desperately drank in Sam's comforting presence, he reveled in her touch, knowing that perhaps those moments with her would be the last he'd ever remember.

He knew what was happening, but he had no way to stop it.

* * *

_Well, there's Chapter 17. Because of the school play and choral competitions, I'm afraid I've been unable to give my stories undivided attention. This chapter may seem rushed a bit, so I'm sorry! Please, if you have any advice or criticism, tell me what you think; I'm beginning to wind this story down its second arc. Oh, and **inukagome15**, I hope this chapter answered your questions! :)_

**1.) Character comments? Out of touch or right on target?**

**2.) Plot? Any apparent holes, bad scenes, or general criticism?**

**3.) Chapter effect? Attention keeper or a yawn?**

**4.) Overall story effect?**

**5.) Any other comments? :)**

_Song inspiration: Somewhere in Time by Kamelot_

_Updated: Friday, February 27, 2009 at 9:15 P.M._

_Thank you all for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review!**


	18. Chapter 18

_Disclaimer: No own DP. _

_Oh my goodness; in my time of absence from this site, this story has managed to hit 500 reviews! Last night, I ended up rereading every single one, and I decided that I would set aside time to get this story done. So thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 18**

* * *

Storming the hallway, Valerie haphazardly broadcasted her arrival to every ghost. They shrunk away in fear, terrorized by her determination and the weapon in her hand. Maddie flanked her side, eyes cautious.

There was no telling what those ghosts would do.

"Tell us the location of Phantom," Valerie raised her gun and pointed it at an unparticular ghost. Its confidence fled in waves of spectral energy.

"_I…I d-don't know!" _It whispered, ghastly whispers echoing absolute terror. As Maddie watched the curious scene, she noted the ghost's defining features. A female, soft-lined face, obviously died a young adult.

She frowned at the way the ghosts cowered. It was so unnatural for their behavior…right? But she had little time to debate it, knowing the true reason of their mission was imperative.

Valerie lowered her gun, and instead demanded to know the location of the receptionist's desk. The girl-ghost was most helpful, if only to escape the Red Hunter's wrath.

"Over t-there!" the ghost fearfully pointed, wisps swirling about her. The moment Valerie walked past her, the ghost dematerialized into the air. She didn't want to stick around to face the wrath of scorned humans…

A pin fell off the receptionist's desk, but no one heard it. They could only hear the dead beat of silence. No pun intended, of course.

The soft whine of charging weapons echoed as Maddie walked before Valerie, a gun in each hand. She maintained an intimidating posture, chin high, eyes guarded. Valerie mirrored her actions, except in her injured hand was the Phantom Finder.

"I know you're hiding him," Valerie called out to the receptionist. They shrunk at the tone of her voice. "Tell me where he is."

Murmured commotion overcame the entire congregation, some more angry and panicked than others. "I told you!" came their whispers. "The Ghost Council was right! Phantom is bringing us destruction!" The receptionist, a ghost with friendly wrinkles and green eyes, desperately attempted to quiet them, but there was nothing she could do. She glanced up in fear at the two ghost hunters.

"Look, we're not here to destroy you," Valerie deadpanned. "Just take me to Phantom, and we'll all be happy, okay?"

"H-have…have you come to destroy _him_?" the receptionist questioned hesitantly. "Red Hunter, the human agency has not left much to be had. Phantom is incapacitated at this time."

Valerie glared at the ghost.

Hesitantly, she replied, "Room 467, level 3." As the two walked away, Valerie caught the receptionist picking up the emergency phone for help.

"Mrs. Fenton, I think you should stay down here and guard the desk. We can't allow them to find reinforcements."

"Right."

Two doctors threw themselves before the door, but Valerie shoved past them, gaze scanning rapidly.

And there, one green-skinned ghost wearing a white overcoat floated out the door. He glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, occasionally scratching things down.

He never saw her coming.

Valerie grabbed the doctor's collar and pulled him to eye level. His clipboard clattered to the floor. "How is he?" she demanded.

His eyes widened. "Uh…who?"

"_Danny Phantom_!" Valerie snarled. "Who else?"

"Uh, as…as well as can b-be expected!" the doctor hurriedly blurted. His red eyes locked on Valerie's weapon. "I beg you, Red Hunter, this is a no-violence zone! Please, desist, for the sake of others!"

Her teal eyes darkened. "As if I'd take orders from you, _ghost_."

She walked into the room, and there, sitting beside Phantom's inert form, was Samantha Manson.

Sam glanced up, and incredulously, she said, "Valerie?" It hadn't taken her long to find the room…

"Manson?" Valerie shot back, face just as incredulous. Her weapon nearly faulted in her grasp. "The hell are you doing here?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" Sam retaliated, eyes cold and hard. "Don't you know that you've done enough?" She stood up, placing herself between Danny and Valerie.

"But, I-"

"-You've nearly destroyed Phantom for your so-called _ethics_," Sam snarled.

"And why do _you_ even care?" Valerie demanded out of spite, something sick sinking within her. "I didn't think you liked Danny Phantom!"

Her teal eyes landed upon the ring. It was strung on a necklace around Sam's neck. _Sam._

"Oh my God," Valerie whispered, glancing back up at the girl. "Wait a minute! I thought you loved _Danny_, like, the other Danny! You mean to tell me you were having an affair with Phantom too?"

"Even if I tried to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand!" Sam countered angrily. "You'd just start waving that gun around again, and you wouldn't even care who got shot!"

"I was the one who saved Phantom from the CGIA!" Valerie tried to protest.

"And you're the one who captured him in the first place!" Sam yelled. "I loved him, Valerie!" Her voice cracked with sadness. "I _loved_ him! And you stole him from me!"

"But what about Danny Fenton?" Valerie questioned, voice intense.

Sam's violet eyes saddened greatly. "I loved him too," she whispered. "But you just wouldn't understand."

A thought struck Valerie like lightning. "It's because Phantom looks like him, isn't it?" she rounded on Sam. "You think you can replace him?"

"Of course not!" the violet-eyed woman replied adamantly. "Just as Phantom can't be replaced, neither can Danny!"

"Then why are you playing both, huh?" Valerie placed her hands on her hips. "Don't you know reality doesn't work that way?"

At Valerie's words, Sam let loose a bitter, half-amused laugh. "You think you know everything!" she whispered. "You think you've got everything down, don't you? But Valerie? You don't even know the _half_ of it."

The Red Hunter caught something in Sam's voice. "The half of what?" she demanded.

Sam avoided the question and turned back to Phantom, kneeling beside his bed. She took his large hand in hers, and she bit her lip. "You're killing him," she whispered intensely, angrily, brokenly. "Why are you even here? To gloat or something?"

"No!" Valerie adamantly denied. "I'm here to save Phantom." She pulled the Specter Shredder from her belt. "I used this once to keep him alive; I can use it again to stabilize him."

Sam raised a dark eyebrow, "Oh, and how do you intend to do that? Considering that, you know, everything you've ever _done_ has been to hurt him."

Valerie bit her lip. "Look, I know you don't like me for what I've done. I don't really like you either. But this isn't about us; it's about Phantom, right?"

The purple-eyed girl narrowed her gaze. "Right," she agreed slowly. "But why the sudden concern, Valerie? You've never liked Phantom before…" She glanced at the Specter Shredder. "And that definitely doesn't look like it'd help."

"The CGIA modified it, but it still essentially does the same thing," Valerie tried to explain.

"It says Specter Shredder, Valerie," Sam deadpanned.

"But it does the complete opposite!" The Red Hunter raised the weapon, and Sam immediately lurched into a stand.

"Like hell it does!" Sam bit back. She stood protectively before Phantom's inert form, ready to shield him. "You just want a straight shot to kill him!"

"I want to help him!"

"Stop lying!" Sam raised her voice in anger. "I will not allow Phantom to be hurt by you again!"

Valerie raised the Specter Shredder, but with Sam in the way, there was no way she could transfer the energy without severely injuring Sam. The two held their ground, staring each other down.

Finally Valerie growled in frustration, and she lowered the Shredder. She angrily stormed out, muttering something about returning later. Sam watched with weary eyes.

"_**Help will come…" **_Sam remembered Clockwork's words, and she wondered if perhaps she'd done the right thing.

_But there's no way Valerie would possibly help Danny…_

_Right?_

Sam bit her lip as she turned back to Danny, noting how his tired eyes had opened. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she whispered, kneeling down to his bed. "I didn't mean to wake you up, or anything."

He swallowed thickly, sweat beads trailing down his face. "Sam?" he whispered. Something was wrong. "I love you… but you've got to leave." His hands were shaking.

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why?"

"_Now_."

"But, Danny-"

"-I c-can't hold on," he said. "I don't… want you to see me like this."

His eyes unfocused strangely as he began whispering unintelligible thoughts, something about family, and lights, and the CGIA. It scared Sam far beyond anything else.

"D-Danny!" she said in concern. "Danny, you're not making sense." She brushed back his bangs, staring into his eyes. "Look at me, okay?"

His eyes were trance-like as he continued to stare at the ceiling, unaffected.

"Danny!" Sam gripped his hand, squeezing tightly. "Danny, you're scaring me. Wake up!"

He inhaled a shaky breath, then turned his face away from her. "The clocks are bringing the agents, and then I'll fall. I'm falling into the abyss of…of nothing_…"_

He turned his head towards her, and his eyes glowed an eerie red.

Sam's eyes widened, and she quickly pushed a button next to the bed. A doctor flew into the room, noting Phantom's strange behavior. The doctor quickly assessed the situation and turned. "Samantha, you must leave. Something's happening to trigger this…I think it's a form of psychosis."

Sam swallowed hard as she nodded, not even caring that the ghost had used her full name.

The doctor pushed a button, and the light quickly scanned the body beneath it. A 3-D scanning image of Phantom appeared above the actual body. The doctor fed information into the scanning system, and the imaging zoomed into the numerous layers of Phantom's brain tissue. Upon closer inspection, the doctor rushed to write down his notes.

Ghost cells within Phantom's brain were overcoming his human mind.

* * *

Sometime later found Phantom's room abandoned, Sam presumably asleep, Valerie most likely modifying the Specter Shredder. Few ghosts had been active throughout the complex, scared away by the reputation of the two ghost hunters. And Sam's unpredictable anger.

Speaking of that girl, Maddie had yet to understand how Sam had beaten both Valerie and herself to Phantom. Perhaps she was just as desperate to find Danny…

Eyes hard, Maddie stepped into the room. Even in an unconscious state, Phantom was a level six, according to her read-out. But dangerous or not, something in Maddie's heart twisted at the sight of him.

For the first time, Phantom looked completely, irrevocably, vulnerable. His chest rose and fell-ghosts still breathed?-in such a labored way that it made Maddie's own breaths shorten.

Sympathy. She didn't like the fact that she felt sympathy for him_. For it_, she thought to herself. As she stood beside the bed, the woman glared at him. "You killed my son," she whispered angrily. "You killed him, didn't you?"

No answer.

The diagnostics of the device spit out statistics and outputs. "Ectoplasmic regeneration 56 percent," it stated. "Initiating ecto-measuring sequence T-34 for listings of abnormal power capabilities."

"Sequencing data…" Tense seconds passed the silence.

It was the strangest thing, to see hints of her son in her enemy. So much like her son… His facial structure, the shape of his eyes, the way his unruly hair curled at the very ends… "You know where my son is," she whispered to him. "I know you do. You always have."

"Data sequenced," the device interrupted. "Power capabilities as listed for level 6. Abnormal data detected. ENA samples needed for further research." The woman frowned as she glanced at the device. She moved to retrieve it from the table…

And in the blur of the moment, she saw not Phantom's eyes open until they were trained exactly on her. Looking back down, she jumped, startled. Before she could unhook her weapon from her belt, Phantom whispered hoarsely, "_Mom_?"

Maddie froze.

His gaze caught her, and it planted her feet to the spot. She'd never been this close, and it sent uneasy chills down her spine.

…And had he really just said 'mom?'

Phantom's bleary, green eyes locked on hers, and the shear amount of emotion within them set her back. Pain, love, fear. "Mom? Mom, please…don't shoot."

Caught between a mix of emotions, she knew not what to do. The mother tilted her head in curious thought, sharp eyes noting every honest emotion in Phantom's eyes. He was serious, she realized, and she wasn't sure if that comforted her, or if it scared her. Glancing over at her weapon, she knew Phantom was physically unable to attack her. He was obviously delirious, calling her _mom._

And so Maddie sighed and pulled up a chair to Phantom's bedside, continuing the charade. It must've been her internal want for knowledge that made her act. Maybe if she played along…

A multitude of emotions akin to uncertainty flickered across her face before she finally bit her lip. It was silent as Phantom awaited an answer. Hesitantly, she asked, "Yes?"

A flurry of words echoed in return.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. Words poured from his lips, as if he'd been waiting forever to say them. "God, I'm so sorry, Mom. Please say you'll forgive me."

She inhaled sharply, "Sorry for what?"

"For everything. I'm sorry I'm such a screw-up."

The mother's eyebrows raised. "What do you mean?" She brushed away his white locks and then caught herself in the act, suddenly alarmed at how she hadn't even thought before acting. This was the enemy! This was Phantom, destroyer of Amity Park, evil incarnate! What was she doing talking to him?

And why did it feel right to do so? To be so motherly to him?

_I'm just trying to get information_, she convinced herself. Nevertheless, she snatched back her hand.

"I tried so hard," Phantom told her. "I tried so hard to do the right thing, but everything I did ended up wrong." His delirious eyes begged for forgiveness. "When I got my power, I tried to protect you from it, but I guess I failed. I'm a monster, aren't I?" Before she could reply, he added, "You still love me right?"

"Well, I-"

"Please Mom, tell me you still love me." His emerald eyes were glassy, over shining. "_Please_." At her reluctance, he said, "It's all I need."

Maddie chose to avoid the question. "Why wouldn't your own mother love you?" she asked hypothetically, mind racing fast.

The ghost closed his eyes. "How could anyone love a monster?" he clenched his ecto-IV-wrapped fist, wincing at the movement. "The people think I'm one…"

He sighed heavily, a strange rattling sound. "I just wanted to make you proud, Mom."

And for some reason, Phantom's words brought tears to her eyes. "I…I've got to go," she said, barely hiding the crack in her voice.

"_**You've been helping your father a lot lately," Maddie commented happily.**_

_**Danny turned and smiled, "I just wanna make you proud, Mom."**_

"Please, Mom!" the ghost whispered anxiously, desperate to maintain his mother's attention. "I'm still your son, right? No matter what?"

But this time, she never answered.

Backing away quickly, she noticed Phantom's eyes fell in betrayal as he watched her leave. He opened his mouth to say something, but he hesitated and then clicked his mouth shut. Coldness washed over her, and as she escaped from the suffocating room, she didn't even realize that she'd walked through another ghost.

His voice. His words, his expressions…So much like Danny. Too much.

* * *

Danny felt the void within him lurch forward as he watched his mother disappear, and he bit back a sharp inhale. His hands gripped onto the bedding, fingertips tightening. Something surged, icing over his heart.

Had she even been real? Was she a hallucination?

The betrayal he felt, the sadness, the anger…Power raced through his veins as the ectoplasm pump fed his drained body with energy. His body was rebuilding.

No, she _was _real, and Maddie hadn't forgiven him. She didn't love him.

His eyes flashed an unnatural color. The void grew closer; he suddenly knew what was wrong. His power was climbing, infecting the innocence in his eyes with vengeful blood.

6.8.

And Phantom closed his darkening eyes, falling into a black darkness.

* * *

Sam caught Maddie's rushing form out of the corner of her eye, and her expression twisted in confusion. "Mrs. Fenton?" she called out. "Mrs. Fenton, what's wrong?"

"Everything," the mother whispered, running a distracted hand through her messy, graying locks.

The younger woman frowned concernedly. "What happened?"

"Phantom just fell off the deep end!" Maddie stated, rubbing her temples. "I walk in there to get some stat readings, he wakes up, and he thinks I'm his _mother_, of all things! Then, he started off something like a _guilt_ confession." Her eyes furrowed. "He kept looking at me, like what Danny used to do whenever I got mad at him. He reminds me so much of Danny…" The mother's tired eyes closed. "Sometimes, he looks like him, acts like him too. Maybe _I'm _the one falling off the deep end…"

Sam wrung her hands, a nervous habit she'd picked up. And as she did so, the sparkle of the ring's opal caught Maddie's eye. "Well, Mrs. Fenton, I'm sure you're just imagining things. As for Phantom, maybe he's just mistaking you for a memory! You know, like a hallucination from his past. As a matter of fact, I'm sure-"

The mother stopped cold, and a sudden awareness slinked over her body. She'd stopped listening to Sam the moment she recognized what was wrong.

Maddie stared in shock at the ring on Sam's finger. "-Where did you get that?" she demanded suddenly. She couldn't believe it; she just couldn't. There was no way…

Sam glanced up at her, confusion in her violet eyes. "From D-" she stopped. "From Phantom, why?"

The mother's heart twisted with a horrible, terrified clench. "That ring was my grandmother's," she whispered. "I gave it…I gave it to Danny, for when he proposed to you…"

Her eyes widened in dawning horror. "And Phantom had it." A rush of emotions- hatred, suspicion, confusion, terror-overwhelmed her. "Phantom stole it. He knows where Danny is." One half-baked conclusion after another bombarded her mind. "He hurt Danny! He killed my son!"

Every word of Phantom's delirious moments flew out the window. It had all been an act to butter her up! He hadn't been delirious _at all_.

"Mrs. Fenton." Sam suddenly interrupted, fearful. "It's not like that. Phantom didn't kill Danny! He-"

"-And you're with him?" Maddie turned on her, eyes betrayed. "You sided with my son's _murderer_ and accepted the ring that he'd stolen?" Angry tears reached the mother's eyes. "Sam, how could you?"

"No, Mrs. Fenton; Danny's not gone! He's-!"

Maddie abruptly turned from her, unhooking her ecto-gun from her belt. "-I don't want to hear it, Samantha." Her eyes grew cold, hardened by a final betrayal of her family name. "You're not here to find Danny; you're here to elope! I can't believe you."

"How can I make you understand?" Sam whispered.

Maddie's mind raced with information. "My son is missing," she whispered. "My son is dead, and you just forget about him for Phantom?"

"Mrs. Fenton!" Sam suddenly pleaded, eyes wide. "Listen to me!"

But it was no use. Maddie pulled out another gun and shot blue ectoplasm at Sam, freezing the girl in the place. "Too late for that," she whispered, gaze hard.

* * *

Maddie barged into Phantom's room, nearly kicking down the door. Righteous anger fueled her every step. She haphazardly pulled the ecto-IV from his arm, and she watched as the monitors suddenly blitzed into a static haywire.

His breaths became more and more labored, and his closed eyes squeezed tighter in pain.

"I want to kill you!" she seethed. "You stole my son, you stole his friends, you ripped apart my family!"

Tears slipped down her cheeks. "Well, no more second chances!" She trained her gun on Phantom's temple, and it charged up with a powerful whine. "This is for Danny," she whispered.

Her finger pressed against the trigger.

Suddenly, Phantom's large hand gripped her wrist. His iron hand was unwavering. Maddie gasped and tried to jerk away, but he was too strong. She panicked as tendrils of his power locked around her elbow.

He felt cold. "Level 7.2," the device read automatically.

He opened his eyes, and instead of beautiful emerald, his irises were a deep, foreboding red. Blood. "I didn't kill your son, Maddie," he whispered, mind clear of delusions. Even though his eyes chilled her to the bone, she saw they held great sadness. "I _am_ your son."

Red eyes flickered to blue one last time.

A mental image of her black-haired, blue-eyed boy transposed over the ghost, and their features matched with clockwork precision. Maddie gasped.

The gun she held to his temple suddenly clattered to the floor.

* * *

An Observer bowed hastily before the Elder. "Your Grace, your Eminence! Something has gone terribly awry! Phantom has revealed his identity!"

The Elder stared in annoyance at the portal, locked in on Phantom's red eyes. "I am aware of this. It was logical."

"But he wasn't supposed to do that! Surely you must destroy Phantom now!" the Observer beseeched. "His power has already climbed an entire level in a day! If he manages to temporarily gain the ghost hunter's trust, then no one will stop him when his powers-!"

The elder ghost's lips twitched. "-You assume much without the complete knowledge."

"Allowing this is a direct violation of the protocols!" the Observer whined. "The Council will have our heads!"

The Elder raised a brow, "You're only an eye. What have you to worry about?" But before the Observer could further explain himself, the ghost added, "I am currently following the Council's advice, Ignorant One."

"As the Master of Knowledge," the Observer begged, "surely you understand the consequences of not immediately destroying this…this abomination!"

"I do not have to destroy him," Knowledge stated. "He will destroy himself, just as the Council has planned. My underling, with the duty of protecting his charge, was unable to allow this. However, unlike Clockwork, _I_ follow the protocols of Temporal Displacement." The Elder sighed. "Due to his wavering loyalties, Clockwork has allowed the time stream one final twist, which now must come to reality. Phantom will survive his injuries only to be destroyed by the CGIA, using his own power."

"But…but the consequences," the Observer tried to implore, "are far too deadly to allow for any further time! The Council must allow for his _immediate _termination, not this, this gambling of time! What if we don't have anymore time?"

"Oh, and what do you know of gambling Fate?" The Council Member of Knowledge tapped his skeleton fingers on the consol. "Clockwork enjoyed gambling for the greater good more than he ever admitted to the Council." He almost smiled. "Silly boy believed a utopia could exist in this imperfect universe."

He turned to the portal, where Phantom and Maddie were frozen. "I dare you to defy that," he softly challenged the boy. "Prove to me that a utopia can exist, half-breed, and perhaps your trials will end. "

For the Elder knew that over time, even Knowledge could prove to be obsolete. But, of course, he knew the calculations of it all. _**"I have given our world an opportunity. An opportunity which, if followed through, could bring peace among us!"**_

And he _knew_ the stakes were too high to be defied by anyone, much less a half-breed on the brink of insanity.

The Observer sighed as the Elder continued just as before. Watching. Waiting. Daring for the destruction to begin.

* * *

_First of all, I'd like to apologize for the wait. As I am a senior this year, I have been traveling across the state, searching for colleges, applying, trying to win scholarships, and still attempting to uphold my high school GPA. I hope this chapter is still up to your standards, and I hope you all at least enjoyed it. _

**1.) Constructive criticism?**

**2.) What did you like most about this chapter? What did you like least? **

**3.) Overall story effect?**

**4.) Characters?**

**5.) Any other thoughts, questions, ideas?**

_Song Inspiration: March of Mephisto by Kamelot_

_Updated: Sunday, October 25, 2009 at 7:30 P.M._

_Thank you all so much for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_


	19. Chapter 19

_Disclaimer: No own DP. _

_Hey, peeps! I finally graduated high school! Thank you all for supporting me, and hopefully I'll be able to update way more often now! :)_

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 19**

* * *

Maddie's mouth opened and closed. She was speechless. Her mind raced. In the height of the moment, she managed to blurt out, "B-but…it's…that's…_impossible_!" and her voice cracked.

"How?" Phantom asked her intensely. His red eyes bore through hers. "How is it impossible, Mom?"

"Don't call me that!" Maddie snapped uncertainly. She couldn't stare at him for long. The similarities were too much… "I am not the mother of some evil, possessed _ghost_!"

His gaze fell. "Why do you think I'm evil? I've tried everything I could to _not_ be evil."

"But that's what you are," she said, backing away. "No, you killed Danny. You're not him, you're a ghost!" Her eyes hardened. "And my son is _not_ a ghost."

Level 7.5

"He's just half," Phantom said, eyes searching for acceptance. "Half isn't that bad, right?"

Maddie back-stepped in fear. She raised her ecto-gun. "You don't scare me, ghost," she whispered. "You're just an imposter."

Level 8.1.

Desperately, Phantom pulled back the glove of his right hand. "Look. Just look! This is my blood!" he said. A sickening combination of red and green seeped from the gouges in his skin, and he thrust his arm towards her to see. "Ectoplasm and human blood. I can't separate it. Ghosts can steal their host's body, but they can't steal their _blood_." His lips twitched into a weak smile. "Even you know that one."

"It could be a simple illusion," Maddie said, unconvinced. Her stomach turned uneasily at the sight. Ghosts didn't have red pigmentations…

Frustration brewed in his red eyes. "Please, let me prove it to you," he said. "Ask me something, anything, and I can prove that I'm your son!"

"Ghosts can overshadow the memories of their hosts, and I know you've overshadowed my son at least once!" Maddie bit back. "So what if you can quote his past?"

He retorted, "And what if they're really my memories?"

She did not answer for sometime, expression pensive and cold. Finally, she gave in. "…What's Danny's favorite color?" she demanded.

"Orange," Phantom answered.

"Food?"

"Chocolate ice cream."

"Class in school?"

"I hated school," Phantom deadpanned. "Why would I have a favorite _class_?"

"Pastime?"

"Videogames and Dead Teacher movies." He paused. "I don't know if the seventh one has come out yet, though."

"Friends?"

"Sam Manson and Tucker Foley." His eyes flashed in growing frustration. "Look, why don't you believe me?"

"Why do you even try?" Maddie said, eyes hard. Phantom's knowledge could have easily been pulled through possession. This merely proved it. "I know you're just lying, because every time I'd ask Danny those questions, he'd just shy away and tell me to stop being a mom! I refuse to be overshadowed by your will, ghost!" Her hand uneasily rested on her ecto-gun. "I'd rather die."

Phantom's red eyes flickered momentarily back to green. "But I can't let you die," he whispered. "'Cause you're my mom, and I love you."

Her stare never backed down, nor did it break at his words. "You're not so powerful anymore that I couldn't let you die first," she replied.

"Please, Mo-Maddie," Phantom said, "you've got to help me." When she didn't answer, he acted on impulse. He snatched her hands and placed them against his face, pulling her closer. "Look at me!" he whispered harshly. She gasped and tried to snatch away her hands, but he held them tightly. "Look past the hair and the eyes!" His voice grew desperate. "Tell me you can see me. Tell me I'm still _here_!"

Maddie's lips quivered as she stared into the face of her enemy. When he released her hands, she did not turn away, but she gulped hard. Her shaking fingertips traced the familiar contours of his temples, of his jaw. She saw what she both didn't and desperately wanted to see.

"_**Danny, you should be more careful," Maddie scolded motherly as she wiped antiseptic across his bleeding jaw. "Leave the ghost hunting to us."**_

_**The seventeen year old sighed at the irony. "I know, Mom."**_

"Ghosts don't age," he whispered to her, "but I do. I think, I cry, I smile like any other human! Mom, I'm still _me_!"

"_**Mom!" he pleaded with her. "I swear, I studied for that test! I just…I-I just didn't understand it!" His face contorted in desperation and panic. "You've gotta believe me!"**_

"My son died two years ago," Maddie whispered shakily. "You can't _be _his ghost; you've been around longer than two years…"

"He's me, and I'm him," Danny/Phantom said. He smiled a bit sheepishly. "I tried telling you the day after it happened, but I got scared…"

"After what happened?"

The ghost looked down. "The accident." He swallowed hard. "You remember that, don't you? The day I activated the Ghost Portal?" Before Maddie could answer, he said, "That's why I am the way I am!" He looked at her helplessly. "Jazz thought it was just an ectoplasmic residue, you thought my weird behavior was just from the electrocution, but it wasn't!"

Maddie blinked, and tears slipped down her face. It was so impossible…"No." She shook her head. "No, you can't be right. This can't be true." She sniffed. "You're lying, you have to be!" She swallowed hard. "You're a…unique ghost, Phantom, but you can't be my son. You murdered him and stole his image."

He stopped, face frozen. "You honestly don't believe me."

"It's too impossible to be true," the mother said quietly, eyes hard. "You're either a pathologic liar, or you're disillusioned yourself. But you can't be Daniel Fenton."

Phantom laughed bitterly. "But don't _you_ see? This _whole_ thing's screwed up! I never meant to get caught in the blast from the Portal, I never meant to lose half of myself. I never meant for any of this to happen! I never meant to be framed, I never meant to be controlled!" Frustrated tears brimmed at his eyes. "Your son was never murdered because he was too busy being _tortured _by the CGIA!"

"I…I can't believe you."

He growled. "And I-" Red eyes widened as he ceased to speak. Words died in his mouth. His jaw moved, as though in desperation to say one more thing.

The demonic red of his eyes suddenly darkened into the deepest crimson, and Maddie backed away fearfully. Sweat (that normal ghosts didn't have) broke out across his temples. Breath (that normal ghosts _really _didn't have) stalled in his chest. He shivered; the emotional and physical stress forcing his body to overcompensate. Another ounce of his humanity slipped away into the time stream.

Level 8.5.

"Mom?" he whispered, voice strangely echoing. "There's something coming."

And then his eyes rolled up in the back of his head, the ghostly aura surrounding him growing brighter. "Phantom…?" Maddie questioned uncertainly. She moved forward, hand outstretched, as he fell back onto the bed.

In unconsciousness, he was so still, like death. Strange concern flared throughout Maddie, and she allowed herself another step closer to the bed. Her shaking fingertips brushed against his face and the locks of his hair. The angle of his eyebrows, the upwards jaunt of his nose, and the proud line of his jaw all aligned with her memories of her son.

But the glow of a ghost tainted those memories…

"_Tell me you can see me. Tell me I'm still __**here**__!"_

Fear tore through her.

* * *

She stumbled through the ghost hospital with no real path, no pattern. Like a ghost, she wandered, eyes bright with tears.

"He's lying," Maddie whispered to herself. "He's lying, and I know it."

But she didn't.

"It's completely ridiculous," she said aloud, talking to herself. "It's impossible that Phantom is a ghost manifestation of Danny." But their mannerisms were the same, facial structure the same, voice the same tone…

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. For a moment, she stared at her hand, noting the crinkles and wrinkles in her skin. She was getting too old for this.

Time was running out, and she knew it. It was time to settle things.

"Yo, hey Lady," called a rasping, young voice.

Maddie, still trembling in shock from her previous engagement, glanced up to see a woman strumming her guitar. It was a younger ghost. She automatically sought out the gun holstered at her side. "What do you want?" she replied coldly.

Ember rolled her eyes at the woman. "You humans are soo stupid." She stopped playing to take a drag on her cigarette and flick the ashes at Maddie, and the mother distastefully glanced back up. "Do you have any idea how ignorant you look to us, right now? The entire Ghost Zone knows the true identity of Phantom, and here you are, completely oblivious!" Her lips twitched into a mocking smile. "It's funny, really it is. I might have laughed if you actually killed him."

Maddie's bloodshot eyes grew guarded. "What do you mean?"

"You mean you can't figure it out?" Ember mocked her. "You build a portal, you defy modern standards, and yet you can't even figure out that you housed your enemy on a daily basis?"

Maddie raised her gun. "Tell me. Now."

The ghost took a long drag on her cigarette. "Phantom _is _your son, Maddie." Ember's eyes were as serious as death. "Danny Phantom and Danny Fenton are one and the same. Always have been; always will be."

"You're lying," was all Maddie could think to say.

Ember scoffed. "Yeah, 'cause I'd really gain something out it. I don't feed off misery, like _some_ people." She rolled her eyes. "I got better things to do than sit here and talk logic."

When Maddie continued to stare in consternation, Ember sighed. "Look at the facts! Your son disappears whenever Phantom appears. Phantom gets captured; Danny mysteriously goes missing." She inhaled deeply once again on the cigarette. "If ya ask me, you'd have to be the worst parent in the world to not catch that."

"B-but…but!" Maddie tried to protest, in fear, in panic. Something horrible gripped her heart. It was truth. She knew it. "But Phantom's evil! Phantom's a ghost! My baby isn't either of those things!" Her fists clenched. "My son was murdered by Phantom! There's no way…no way at all that-!"

"-Look, you don't wanna believe me? Fine." Ember hopped off the table. "Keep denying yourself."

"But I'm denying nothing! There's no possible way…Phantom is so evil…"

She rolled her eyes. "That dipstick's heart is bigger than his brain, I'll tell ya that much. And if ya don't believe me, then…" she shrugged. "Your fault." She continued to play her guitar, cigarette hanging from her mouth, as Maddie's face contorted in fear.

"My baby isn't…he can't be…" The mother collapsed in tears. "Danny can't be a ghost!"

_But he is, _her inner self stated.

_And you know it, Maddie. _

Horror overwhelmed her, and shame tore through her every vein. Danny Fenton was Danny _Phantom_. And she'd nearly killed him. She'd tormented him. Her son.

He was her _son_.

"_**But I can't let you die, 'cause you're my mom, and I love you."**_

And no matter what, she loved him too. Maddie swallowed hard at the reality facing her. After two years of searching without hope, she'd finally found her son. He'd been in front of her the entire time…

…But how? _How_ could her baby be a ghost?

* * *

Maddie busted down the door of the human specialist. Tears cascaded from her vulnerable, confused eyes. The ghost glanced up from his microscope in surprise, and he came face-to-face with one hell of a mad and panicked human being.

"I want you to explain something."

"Uh, anything!" he said, more worried about the weapon in her hand than the woman herself.

"Tell me how my son is a ghost hybrid." She cocked the gun. "I want facts. _Now_."

* * *

_Hey, everyone! I just graduated high school, so sorry about the late and relatively short update (again). Ahem...anywho, I hope you enjoyed it. Maddie reminds me of the type of person who would deny a reality that didn't fit her personal outlook, and so this whole chapter is an intro-spective one of a change I believe it would take Maddie a while to undergo. So...yeah. _

**1.) Chapter interest?**

**2.) Characters?**

**3.) Plot?**

**4.) Comments?**

_Thank you all for reading,  
__Lightning Streak_

**_Please Review!_**


	20. Chapter 20

_Disclaimer: Don't own. Never have. _

_I'd just like to say that I love you all, because you're all awesome, and I'm sorry I'm horrible at updating! This chapter was way overdue... :(_

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 20**

* * *

Maddie paced in worry, purple eyes fraught with tears. She'd long ago set down her weapon; she'd long ago lost track of time. Phantom was her son. Her worst enemy was her beloved, smiling son. Fear and hope twisted and pulled through her stomach like acid. She was nauseated, and she was ironically relieved beyond measure. All those doubts and fears about the location of her son were gone for the first time in two years. "Anything yet?" she called to the human specialist.

The elderly ghost shook his head as he adjusted the microscope. "Not yet. I'm trying to separate the molecules of his blood to see what ties everything together."

"But you're certain Danny's a ghost hybrid?" Maddie cut in.

"Positive. There's no other logical explanation." The human specialist sighed. "Mrs. Fenton, please sit down. You're making me nervous."

"It's only the fate of my son," she shrugged sarcastically, eyes glaring and frantic. "I can't help it if I want to know what he's become."

"Do you mean what he became, or what he's becoming?"

Maddie's eyes furrowed. "Both, I guess." She wrung her hands, a fretting mother. "Please, just tell me what's going on." Maddie stared at the ghost. He was a ghost scientist specializing in humans. She was a human scientist specializing in ghosts. What irony. A ghost. Her enemy. And now they were working together to save her son.

The ghost glanced down at his notes. "Well, I have a theory, but I-"

"-Tell me. Something. Anything."

"Well, ah, this theory is based on the fact that ghost energy is negative, a type of dark matter. This _specific _dark matter that we ghosts utilize mirrors electromagnetic properties in many ways. And because of this, it can exist in many forms and strengths, even in humans." The ghost stared into the microscope, seemingly satisfied with his findings. "Like so," he said, motioning for Maddie.

She stepped to the table. "So then, how does this…energy, dark matter tie into Danny?"

He spoke as she glanced into the microscope. "The human body depends on a delicate balance of positive and negative energies and bonds, you see. That's how blood pumps. That's why the human mind outputs a specific electrical frequency. That's why electricity affects humans so much."

"As the legend goes, your son was caught in the initial blast of the Ghost Portal's creation." The specialist sighed. "I believe that the conditions of the blast allowed a cross of the two energies, thus allowing the dark matter's negative energies to bond with him."

"But that's impossible!" Maddie argued, looking up from the microscope. "The human body requires a _balance_ of positive and negative charges! If what you're saying is true, the imbalance would have killed Danny!"

"True, but the essence of dark matter does not affect Danny's natural body, because light matter is the dominant energy of the earth world. Rather, it _bonded _with his natural, negative energy-cells, using ecto-covalent bonds. It stabilized the blast within him. Technically, he is perfectly balanced. His positive energy-cells interact with transitioning ecto-electrons and natural electrons."

Maddie's eyes tracked the ghost scientist as he floated, pacing back and forth. "Well, but…that means the conditions of the portal had to be perfect, which is inconceivable," she commented, deep in scientific thought. "How could it have allowed for a harmony of contradicting energies?"

"Perhaps… because the blast was the effect of two worlds colliding, the conditions adjusted for a two-world existence. His ghost essence is, therefore, like," the scientist struggled for the appropriate word, "a coating. It allows the interaction of positive and negative cell-energies, but it is bonded with him to his core."

"Can they be separated?" Maddie asked. Guilt filled her to even think of it.

The scientist nodded. "I would imagine so. Danny existed before without the dark matter essence. He could exist again without it." He paused. "But, Mrs. Fenton, to separate them would be separating who your son is."

"And who _is _my son?" she whispered.

"Simply put, he's a ghost hunter," the human specialist replied. "His weapons are just internally accessible. That's the only difference between him and you."

"And all those things Phantom did," Maddie trailed. "The stealing and the power trips. Were…was that really Danny?"

The ghost sighed. "Danny Phantom is innocent of most charges. The only charge he is guilty of is protecting Amity Park, and his family, to a fault."

Those words, to hear those words, relieved the deep apprehension in her heart. Phantom, the dark part of her son, was truly innocent as well. Danny/Phantom was _innocent_.

She felt some form of injustice in her heart give way to relief. "So my son isn't a criminal," she whispered.

"That's correct, Mrs. Fenton."

She licked her lips uncertainly. "Well, then what's wrong now?" Maddie questioned, pressing on from her own emotional distress. "_If _Phantom is my son, then what's happening? Phantom's eyes are green, not red. His outputs are rising, but something's changing. The…anomaly of his circumstances is no longer a simple question of what he is. It's what he's becoming, right?"

The elder ghost nodded. "The problem I'm running _now_ into is the over-flux of negative cell-energies. The ectoplasm in his body is imbalanced, and its no longer interchanging with his natural energies. I believe it's taking over him, and if he allows it to continue, then it will irreversibly cancel out his positive charges and his light matter. He will become a full ghost."

"A full ghost?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"With no human structure or DNA?"

"Yes."

Maddie collapsed in a chair. "It's really possible, then, that I could still lose him," she whispered, shaking. Her eyes drifted to the door, and she bit her lip.

"Mrs. Fenton, anything is possible."

Danny Phantom _was _Danny Fenton. Her son. Her enemy was her son. And she was about to lose him all over again.

'But why?" she asked. Life wasn't fair. "Why now? Why is he dying _now_?"

"He's been in his ghost alternate form so long it's taken over as his dominant side, most likely for pure survival. I'm afraid though that the ghost half of Daniel has always been controlled by the human half, having been the subordinate energy all along. Without that guiding compass, and with the current oppression from the CGIA…" the specialist sighed. "It is possible that Phantom could turn out to be an incredibly malevolent ghost."

The mother swallowed hard. "No, no that's not possible. My Danny is a sweet, kind boy…"

"_Your_ Danny never underwent torture at a government facility," the ghost pointed out. "The Danny you knew and the Danny who exists now are two different people with very different experiences."

"B-but…but he's still Danny, no matter what. He _must_ come out of this."

"No guarantees, Mrs. Fenton." The specialist bit his lip. "I just want you to be aware of the risks."

Tears brightened her eyes. "Please, just tell me a way to save him. There _must_ be a way to save my _son_."

"I wish I knew one. But without any way to stabilize the link between his human and ghost halves, I'm afraid he'll continue to transform into a full ghost."

"And after that…?"

"I've no idea, Mrs. Fenton. The Ghost Council is getting antsy about him." He turned concerned eyes to the mother. "We all are."

As she sunk deeper into the chair, she held her head in her hands. "My poor boy…" she cried softly.

Danny/Phantom was not her enemy. He never had been.

And what if she'd found her son, only to lose him again?

* * *

She raised the readout. Out of his total internal kinetic activity, seventy-two percent originated from his ectoplasmic levels, leaving only twenty-eight percent of dormant (human) energy. It was nearly a five percent drop from earlier that afternoon.

Her son was disappearing before her eyes.

With a suffering sigh, she kneeled beside the bed, her fingers motherly running through her son's white hair. "I'm sorry," she whispered to him. "I'm so sorry, Danny." Maternal instinct overcame her.

There, beyond the years of prejudice, she could see her son clearly. And because of that, she realized she could learn to love the Phantom side of her son as well.

"Why did you hide this?" Maddie asked her sleeping son. "Why didn't you let me help you?" Tears slipped down her face. "All those times I worried you were being beaten at school, or doing drugs, or….or…" She squeezed his hand tighter. "God, Danny. I could have killed you." The thought tore at her heart. "I shot at you. I hurt you."

The boy's breathing suddenly shifted, and his eyes fluttered. Red stared back at her, and she nearly jumped, startled, but the emotion behind the red stopped her. "…Mom?" he whispered.

Tears burned her eyes. "Right here, sweetie." In that moment, she saw past the eyes, past the hair, past the glow of a ghost, and she saw her son, vulnerable and tired. "I'm right here." She squeezed his hand. "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm r-really cold," he admitted. He looked young, far younger than his true age. God, had he eaten? He looked so skinny that it hurt her heart. At the very least, his physical wounds had healed…

She stroked his hair in an attempt to comfort him, brushing back his white locks. "I know, sweetheart. I know." She pressed her lips together in thought. "And I want you to know that I'm going to help you," Maddie promised. "I'm working with the human specialist-" her lips twitched in irony "-to find a cure for you."

"…So I'm right, then?" he asked her, red eyes falling in failing hope. "I'm becoming more of a ghost?"

Maddie swallowed hard. "Yes."

"…Is it bad?" he asked.

"I think it's reversible," Maddie said slowly, "unless you become one-hundred percent ghost."

"What happens then?"

Maddie's eyes grew bright with tears. "Danny…ghosts can't become human. I-if you lose the link between your human and ghost halves, we can't replace it."

He noticed the wrinkles on his mother's face that hadn't been there before. His shaking fingertips traced the sad laugh lines. "I'm sorry, mom."

"It's not your fault, sweetheart," she whispered back. "It's mine."

"Look…" He licked his lips uncertainly. "Mom, if I do anything bad as a ghost…Stop me at all costs, because I…I don't think I can fight this anymore." Swallowing hard, he admitted. "I can feel it, sometimes. You gotta promise me you'll stop me."

"Well, Danny, I-"

"_Promise_ me," he stressed, his eyes searching hers. "I know you want to help me right now. This is how you can."

The mother's vision swam with tears. "You can't be asking me to hurt you, Danny. I-I can't now…"

"I'm already dying," he said forcefully. "You know it won't be much longer."

The creation of the ghost portal was never worth her son's life.

Maddie suddenly realized she didn't know her son. She pictured carefree smiles, glittering blue eyes. Before her was a warrior, capable of taking his own life to protect others.

Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes and took his gloved hand in hers. Tears ran down her haggard face. "…Okay, Danny," she whispered. "Okay."

Something, like relief, crossed his face. "Thank you," he told her.

As she sat beside him, stroking his gloved fingers, she hardened her gaze. "But I'm only going to stop you at costs _I _deem acceptable," she bargained. "I'm not going to do anything that would endanger your life. And don't you dare argue with me, young man."

He huffed, and his white locks flew about his face. "Fine," he relented.

Her purple eyes, tired and exhausted, suddenly glinted a bit as she said, "That's what I thought. Now get some sleep."

Danny looked about to argue, but with one look from Maddie, he stopped, and he realized just how much he'd missed her. "Okay, mom," he replied, lips twitching upwards. He relaxed against his bed, and Maddie pulled the covers up, kissing his forehead like she always used to…

"Good night, sweetheart," she whispered, but his eyes were already closing, his energy drained from remaining awake so long.

Maddie glanced worriedly at her son as he fell into a rhythmic sleep.

Considering the human specialist's theory, just how malevolent could he get? And how far would she go to protect him from himself?

* * *

The door slammed open, and a sopping wet Sam barreled through. "Mrs. Fenton!" she cried out desperately. "Stop!"

Maddie turned around to come face-to-face with the younger woman, who nearly barreled over her. "Don't shoot! Danny's innocent, I swear! He didn't-!"

Sam's eyes suddenly connected with Maddie's, and in that moment she saw the _knowing _that Maddie possessed. It was a weathered, worn enlightenment. Nothing was happening.

And Maddie's face broke out into a gentle, tearful smile. "It's okay, Sam. No more shooting for me."

Relief rolled off the girl in waves, and the adrenaline left her, sweeping away the awful horror that had gnawed at her mind. She closed her tired eyes. "So you know, then?" she asked.

She nodded. "Yes, I know."

"A-about everything?"

"About everything." The mother swallowed hard. "It's just…why did you all hide this from me? I could've…I would've _helped_."

"We didn't know that, Mrs. Fenton. We thought…we thought that you'd kill him for being a ghost." Sam stood her ground, uncertain.

"Sam, if I'd just known," the mother explained. "I would've _never_ continued to hunt him." Guilt lumped in her throat.

"_I'm_ sorry, Sam," Maddie whispered to the girl, standing up. "I'm sorry you had to help him carry this…this burden." She saw the pain in the younger woman's eyes, and she hugged her tightly. Sam was almost a daughter. "I'm gonna help fix this. Phantom is as much my son as Danny is."

Sam hesitantly returned the hug. "Thanks, Mrs. Fenton."

"It's weird that you're talking about me, like I'm not right here or anything," a tired voice spoke up. Sam glanced over at Danny, blinking sleepily from his bed, and her eyes softened.

"Sorry, Danny," she said. "But-"

"-Yeah, I know," he interrupted, yawning. "Caught up in the moment." He turned, pulling the covers over his shoulders. His ruby eyes closed.

"Come on," Maddie said to Sam, placing a hand on her back to guide her. "Let's go get some sleep ourselves. We need it."

"Hmm," Sam agreed tiredly, glancing back at the bed, where Danny slept. "You're probably right."

Something on his face troubled her, but she couldn't place it…

* * *

Later that night found the hospital relatively peaceful. The ghost receptionist, having been effectively traumatized by Valerie's trigger happy attitude, was hesitant to allow them sanction within the hospital. But after some words with Maddie, she seemed more willing to help, albeit jumpy.

Thus, the hospital battened down, the three humans slept…

And, in the dead of night, one particular ghost found himself waking in panic.

As dreams melted into painful reality, something tore through Danny, and his jaw tightened. Red eyes opened wide. He was sweating, and beads trailed down his temples. He felt like vomiting, or dying, or…

Another wave tore down his body. "Oh, _God_," he whispered, slowly realizing . His shaking hand gripped onto the bedside table, and he pulled himself off the bed, collapsing hard onto the floor.

It was cold. He was cold.

It was finally happening.

He could feel it, slinking away. The clocks were turning. The CGIA was coming, the Ghost Council was storming across the Zone, he could feel it.

He could _feel_ it.

His vision darkened and twisted to waver in dimensions, and he saw the colors of the Ghost Zone. Ice and fire tore through his limbs, seething from his fingertips. The tiles cracked beneath his touch. Swallowing hard, he attempted to rein in the horrible wave of energy that swarmed through his body, but it was too much.

He turned shakily on his back as he gasped for air. He couldn't breathe…Where was the _air_? Where was his heartbeat? His lungs stalled strangely. His heartbeat disappeared, and everything inside him twisted.

Then, it happened. His energy shot to an inconceivable level 20, and the world exploded in a sonic blast of sound and color. His back arched off the floor, and his eyes widened, claws slamming into the tiles. Lights.

Pictures, images swarmed around his mind.

Then, without hesitation, they all disappeared, _spinningfastawayintodarkness,and-!_.

And nothing became him, but for the barest essence of a ghost.

Hatred and obsession.

* * *

With a gasp, Sam's eyes snapped open, and she shot up from her makeshift cot. Next to her cot were the respective beds of Maddie and Valerie, who both remained fitfully asleep, albeit with weapons by their sides. Everything was dark and nothing moved.

As she fought to control her rapidly beating heart, Sam knew something was very, very wrong. Her heart pulsed strangely; her mind felt…disconnected from reality. It was Danny, she knew.

Something was wrong with Danny.

Rushing to his room, she slammed open the door. It was as dark as death.

Two crimson eyes immediately locked on her form, and they watched her.

"…Danny?" Sam asked uncertainly. "Danny, that you? Are you okay?"

Within the darkness, she barely pinpointed a figure sitting on the bed. Its broad shoulders were hunched, and its hair swarmed around its face like white flames.

"…Danny?"

Suddenly, the eyes narrowed, and a dark, foreboding laugh echoed.

Realization hit her too late.

_Oh no…!_

In a blur, he harshly slammed her against the wall, encircling her throat with his large hand. She cried out and struggled. He was too strong. Medical tubes and needles fell from his muscled arms. Smirking fangs poked out from his lips. "Danny who?" he mocked, voice dangerously low.

Sam's violet eyes widened as she gasped for air. Her spine screamed in pain. It was wrong, everything was wrong! The ghost had Danny's features, but…

This, whatever it was, was a monster.

Phantom smiled something twisted and unnatural. He squeezed her neck, and she saw black dots. Her fingertips scratched at his strong arm. "You are so _weak_," he laughed at her. "Is this the best you can do, Sam?"

Verging on unconsciousness, Sam barely registered the release of his hand, and the dizzying intakes of air she choked on as she slid down the wall. His clawed hands caught her small body, and he roughly pulled her to him.

"You know what, Sam? It feels," he whispered to her, "so _good_ to be free. No one telling me what to do. No human impulses. No obligations." His smile was truly terrifying as he leaned into her. "Just pure," he breathed against her neck, closing his eyes, "animalistic _instinct_." His claws dug into her back, and Sam gasped in pain.

"Danny!" she struggled, trying to push him away. With her bruised throat, it hurt to speak. "Wake up!"

"I just did," he whispered possessively into her ear, forked tongue trailing along her earlobe. "It's like being born, Sam. So amazing…"

"Get off of me!" In fear and disgust and anger, Sam managed to twist her body, swinging her fist and soundly punching him in the face. The force unbalanced him, and he quickly released her to catch himself. She lunged for the doctor call button on the bedside table. He blocked her, lips twitching in dark amusement.

"Ah, Sam. I always knew why you were an obsession. So spirited. You'd be a beautiful ghost." Before she could escape, he pinned her between himself and the wall. His corded muscles were cold against her body. "Did you know even Danny agreed with me?"

She swallowed hard as she stared into the twisted visage of the man she loved. "Danny would love me no matter what," she whispered strongly.

"But he drew lines, Sam. He stopped himself from hurting you." His clawed hand slid to the hem of her shirt, and she tensed in terror. "I won't."

"Danny, stop," she said hoarsely. She refused to plead, but when he didn't stop, and his clawed fingertips brushed against her bare skin… "I _said, _sto-!"

He suddenly crushed his lips against hers, and her muffled cry died in her throat. She tried to break away from him, but he was too strong. He shoved her harshly against the wall, pressing his body to hers, and her wide eyes caught his lustful gaze, so…suddenly hypnotic…

_**Obey me.**_

…_What a beautiful and awful red_…

And in that instant, her desire to resist faded. _**Obey me**_. She couldn't look away from his eyes. An oppressive presence in her psyche pushed away her fear and common sense, and his touch electrified every nerve in her body. Her violet eyes tinged a glowing green, and all sense to fight against him fled her. Suddenly, she _liked_ it. She liked the way his claws, capable of mercilessly ripping her open, scraped against her bare stomach, pushing her shirt farther up. _**Obey me. **_

Logic flipped.

Her strong arms fell limp at her side, and she gave in to his power, gasping for his touch. Tendrils of pure ghost energy solidified his control. "_Kiss me," _it ordered in the deepest recesses of her mind. Not of her own accord, she deepened his kiss, fingers weaving into his white hair.

He smirked against her lips as he invaded her mind and dominated her will. He wanted her. He was tired of waiting. "You're mine forever, Sam Manson," he pulled away, possessively kissing down her neck as she leaned to give him access. Her violet eyes stared at the ceiling in a confused muddle of want and control. His hands pressed against her skin, drawing in her human warmth. He loved how strong she thought she was, and yet how easily she succumbed to his power. He thought of how beautiful she'd be as a ghost, and how beautiful her death would be at his hands.

As his lips hesitated over the pressure point in her neck, where he could feel her blood race under his touch…

He wanted to kill her and love her at the same time.

Suddenly, something in his face twisted. Annoyance and confusion flickered across his face, which then gave way to anger. What was he thinking? His fangs bared as he suddenly released her, and she collapsed to the floor, his control on her fading fast, leaving her gasping.

What the hell was he _doing_?

Something he was doing was wrong. An impulse, a human thread of Daniel Fenton, held him back.

He held his head in pain, squeezing his eyes shut. "God, he's still _here_," he whispered uneasily, his head suddenly pulsing with an incredibly human emotion. "I can't do this."

He glanced over at Sam, and suddenly, the impulse grew stronger. To protect instead of destroy. It deeply annoyed him.

_Protect her!_

He snarled angrily in her direction and tipped over the bedside table. She barely escaped before it crashed into pieces on the floor. The last shreds of dark desire fled, and she hazily saw reality. Then she realized what he'd done, and a horrible form of angry betrayal overcame her. "Y-you," she whispered in shock, "you _kissed_ me, and you controlled me!"

She felt dirty.

"Get out of here, Sam!" he snapped at her, red eyes flashing with a panicked, milky green. "Leave!"

Ghostly power strained against him as he curled his fingertips into his hair, squeezing his eyes shut. "Go away," he demanded, a strange quiver in his voice. "God, S-sam, I can't s-stop…"

"The _hell's_ going on, Danny?"

Losing control. One quick, fleeting thought. "Shoot me!" he quickly demanded, gasping, shaking with strain.

"Wha-?"

"Shoot m-me, d-dammit!"

Her wild gaze landed on an ectoplasmic blaster. Maddie's.

Danny's eyes suddenly widened in dark red, and he lunged at her with a horrible, twisting smirk. In a swirl of ghostly wind, he materialized around her. His claws gripped around her waist. "Come on, Sammy," he taunted her. "Shoot me. I dare you." Without thinking, she groped for the weapon, and her fingers locked around it. She pointed the weapon at his chest and pulled the trigger…

He spiraled around the blast, and it exploded against the wall behind him. "Aww," he pouted. "You missed. Too bad."

He raised his hand, and horrible, red light soared from his palm. She couldn't move fast enough. It hit her square in the shoulder, tearing through muscle and bone. Sam cried out, nearly dropping the blaster. Her heartbeat skipped in pain.

"Looks like I _didn't _miss," he mocked her, eyes flickering in satisfaction as he witnessed the blood seep from her wound. She winced in pain. "Although I rather prefer this look on you, Sam."

He materialized in front of her. "Helpless," he whispered into her ear.

She cried out in anger and pain, swinging the blaster to his chest. Light shot straight to his heart.

He stumbled backwards, growling in shock, speech inhibited by his lengthening fangs. She fearfully pointed the gun again and shot. He inhaled sharply in the realization that his obsession had turned on him.

"I am not helpless!" she yelled to him. She purposely ignored the pain in her shoulder. "And the Danny _I_ love knows that!"

"_Stop!_" he seethed, red eyes flashing uneasily. He turned his awfully beautiful, red eyes at her, forcing waves of ghost energy at her gaze. She fought against his trance.

_**Obey me!**_

"Sorry, Danny," she said, eyes avoiding his. "I don't love you like this." An ectoplasmic blast caught him again in the chest. "It's for your own good!"

Years of ghost hunting had honed her aim and pain tolerance, and in his state of superficial power, she knew she could take him down. Unable to move, his body jerked unnaturally with every blast, and his skin grew paler. Level 18.…13.…He collapsed heavily against the foot of the bed, shaking limbs barely keeping him up. His jumpsuit tore, and green blood seeped…

Gasping, his strength gave way, and the horrible ghost swallowed heavily as he fought to pull himself up. "You," he whispered harshly in betrayal. He tried to form an ectoplasmic blast in return, but the light in his palm died. Coupled with the previous strains on his body, the fight for control had drained his power.

"I'm sorry, Danny," she replied, heart tearing. "I've got to do this."

His red eyes flared in anger before they lowered in amused defeat. "Huh…" He tiredly eyed the way she leveled her weapon at his chest. He knew he'd lost, and a part of himself was proud that his obsession could control _him_. "Just do it, then." A half-heartedly evil smile lifted his lips. "I'll be back soon enough."

"Not if I can help it," she whispered, and she shot him one last time.

Suddenly, his red eyes mixed to green, and pained, self-awareness exploded across his face. His chest heaved unevenly as he gasped, green eyes sightless. "S-Sam…"

Sam's hands shook as she dropped the weapon, "Oh God." The full weight of her actions hit her.

She dragged herself beside him, placing her hands on his face. "Danny?" she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "Danny, are you there? Please, tell me you're okay!"

On the brink of unconsciousness, his eyes lolled to her bleeding shoulder. "You're hurt," he commented in shame and horror. "I _h-hurt _you…" His green eyes drooped beneath his eyelids, and his shuddering breaths gave way. His palms sparked with smoking ectoplasm.

"It's okay," she tried to remedy, "just tell me you're in control again." She stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Tell me you can fight this."

"F-for now…" His head lolled sideways against the bedpost as he exhaled, and his face relaxed into troubled darkness, devoid of any malevolence.

Except for Sam's shaky breaths, silence deafened the room.

She, in absolute exhaustion, set her forehead against his, tears squeezing from her eyes. She stroked the side of his face, silently pleading for him to gain control of himself. "Come on, Danny," she whispered. "I know you can fight this…I _know_ you can!"

His sleeping face gave her no reassurance, and tears of hopelessness brightened her eyes as she pulled away to grip her bloody shoulder. It pulsed with a pain she could no longer ignore, much like her heart.

She loved Danny. She would die for him.

But Danny Phantom had attempted to control her. He'd _shot_ her.

Remembering the hazy moments under his control, she shivered uneasily. She'd _wanted_ him, and she'd been unable to stop his hands, his mouth... In a muddled mix of lust and power, she couldn't quite remember what happened. She touched her bruised lips in fear.

She was suddenly in _way_ over her head, and she had no idea how to reverse it. If he ever transformed again…

…What would he be capable of? Where would he _stop_?

* * *

_O.o.O.o.O_

* * *

_Whew! That was tough to write._

_Getting the technical things down in this chapter took the longest. It was a lot of half-truths. Just so you know, there really is a theory about dark matter, and the ability to pump blood and other things like that really does rely on positive and negative charges. The universe is predominantly made up of light matter, and it is possible for two negative charges to bond together in a covalent bond. Everything else I put in here is just a shot in the dark. And I'm pretty sure that if dark matter was ever harnessed as energy, it'd cause a complete melt-down and implosion of the universe. We had a really interesting discussion about in in A.P. chemistry one day, can you tell?_

_Either way, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me. I know I'm awful at updating, but when I say that I won't give up, I really mean it. And every time I read your reviews, it makes me want to write. So hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter and that its length (15 pages!) was enough of an offering for forgiveness. :)_

_Chapter updated: Sunday, August 29, 2010 at 2:00 P.M. _

_Song inspiration: Linkin Park's New Divide (Bliix Remix)_

**1.) Chapter interest?**

**2.) Characters?**

**3.) Plot?**

**4.) Comments?**

_Thank you all for reading,  
Lightning Streak_

_**Please Review!**_


	21. Chapter 21

Disclaimer: Don't own DP!

Hey, everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews, the critiques, and the praises! Looks like we're starting to hit the final arc in this story!

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 21**

"**Do you want the truth or something beautiful?"**

* * *

By the frantic footsteps in the hall, Sam knew others had heard the fight. She groaned as she tried to stand up, but her entire body pained her. Her throat hurt, and she wheezed. She was sure of the dark bruise around her neck… Blood had slowly stained her shirt, and she could feel the room swim in dizziness.

Maddie slammed open the door, purple eyes wide as she took in the sight of Sam's bloody shoulder and Phantom's frayed jumpsuit, where ecto-blood had dried. Behind her, Valerie powered up a blaster, teal eyes concerned.

"My God," Maddie whispered. "Sam, what happened?"

She looked up, violet eyes haunted with the consequences of her actions. "He…he transformed," she whispered dizzily. "And…and he c-controlled me." She shoved the ectoplasmic blaster to Maddie, who concernedly took it from her shaking hands. "I shot h-him."

Sam swallowed hard, going into some form of shock.

Maddie closed her eyes. She knew what she had to do, even if she didn't want to. "Sam, we're going to get you fixed up. Valerie, I need you to rally a group of guards together and lock down this room. If Phantom wakes up, we don't want him running around."

She raised the device, and waited for the readout. Ninety-eight percent ectoplasmic energy, and the remaining two percent of his humanity was quickly deconstructing. She gave both the device and the ecto-blaster to Valerie. "If he hits one-hundred percent on the scale, alert me and turn on the room barrier. It won't control him right now, but it will then."

Valerie blinked before narrowing her eyes. "Mrs. Fenton, wait. What do you mean, _one-hundred_ percent ectoplasm? I thought all ghosts were comprised entirely of ectoplasm."

"All ghosts are," Maddie replied. She sighed. "Phantom isn't just a ghost, though."

The Red Hunter stared at the mother in confusion, as if she'd grown a second head. "Mrs. Fenton? Phantom _is_ a ghost." A confused expression flickered across her face. "There isn't anything else for him to be."

Maddie pressed her lips together. "There is, Valerie."

She huffed. "No, there isn't."

The mother stared at Valerie in a form of hesitation before ultimately sighing. "…It's a long story. Drop it for now."

Valerie looked ready to argue, but she backed down out of respect. "Fine," she said, eyes narrowing in suspicion. What did Maddie know? "But don't think I won't ask later."

"Maybe you'll be able to handle the truth later," Maddie replied, purple eyes stormy. "Right now, I just need you to focus on securing this room." She knelt down beside Sam, who's gaze stared in strange fear at the unconscious Phantom. "Come on, Sam. Up we go." She helped the shaking woman to stand, and Sam leaned on the mother, body and mind heavy with spinning thoughts.

"H-he," Sam whispered, "I…"

"It's okay, Sam," Maddie comforted her, motherly instincts kicking in. "Whatever happened isn't gonna happen again."

The younger woman's grip on Maddie tightened, as if to say that it would.

* * *

One of the Observants in the entourage screeched, flying frantically, "He's transformed! I repeat, he's transformed!" His white robes swished with invisible wind as he spiraled up to the stone platform of the Ghost Council, weaving through numerous ranks of faceless soldiers. The entire field hummed with energy and anticipation.

The Elder of Knowledge rolled his eyes. "We are aware of that, Observant." He waved at the hordes of the Ghost Council's army. "And do you know that all_ this_ is for that specific reason?"

The Observant gaped at him, coming up short. "Aren't you the least bit concerned yourself?"

"Not exactly," the Elder replied. "_Concerned_ is not the correct word. Interested, _intrigued_, now that is what I am." The Elder stared at the Observant in pity. "Do you not remember? The Council's plan is to allow Phantom to destroy himself."

The Observant's eye furrowed. "In what way, milord?"

"In the most inevitable way of all, for a ghost," the Elder said, "is comprised of two basic elements. Ectoplasm, and the psyche he or she maintained at the time of death. In Danny Phantom's case, he was very deeply in love with Sam at the time he altered his DNA structure. Sam was also the one to convince Danny to walk into the Fenton Portal."

"So you think Phantom loves Sam Manson?" the Observant asked curiously.

The Elders face twisted in a frown. "Not love, per say. Danny Fenton loves Sam. The Phantom part of Danny _obsesses_ over Sam, because it is her existence that gave him life and reason. And a ghost cannot live without reason, small one." The Elder stared at the Observant.

"So in order to kill the ghost…" the Observant said, understanding.

"…you kill the obsession," the Elder finished. "Quite simple, really."

"And now that Danny is losing his human half to curb that obsessive nature, he'll be that much easier to destroy."

"He'll destroy himself in order to maintain his obsession." The Elder pondered. "And if he doesn't destroy himself, then only Samantha will have to die in order to bring him to his knees. The collateral damage is minimal."

"This is all well and good," the Observant said nervously, "but what's the army really for, then, if not for Phantom?"

The Elder sighed. "Our one element of surprise. The CGIA."

* * *

Deep within the human dimension of Amity park stood the makeshift headquarters of the CGIA. It was an old warehouse, recently shut down due to lack of funds and reopened by the government specifically for ghost programs. Lieutenant Agent O sat, carefully cleaning and reassembling his favorite weapon. Like something of a racket launcher, it packed a punch equivalent to Phantom's Ghostly Wail. Agent O smirked in retrospect. It _was_ Phantom's Ghostly Wail.

Someone began speaking to him, interrupting his thoughts. "Sir? I'm intercepting abnormal signals from the Ghost Zone," Agent T reported, typing away on his laptop to get a closer analysis. He squinted in the dim light of the old warehouse and scooted closer to the old desk.

"What kind of signals, T?"

"Powerful ones, sir. They also match Phantom's ecto-signature."

"Level?"

"Twenty-one."

Agent O hummed in contemplation. "More than a level thirteen this time…"

"_More_ than? Sir, I think we should sound the alarm and alert everyone that Phantom's power is growing."

Agent O shrugged. "Well, the scale only goes up to thirty. His power has to stop growing sometime."

Agent T sputtered, "But, sir! If he hits level thirty, he'll be undefeatable!"

"Nonsense," O replied calmly. "Pariah Dark was a thirty, and he was defeated by Phantom."

"B-but, he was only a level six when the fire broke out! We can't hope to capture him with our minimal resources." Agent T clacked away on his keyboard to pinpoint the signal's exact location.

"Everything rounds back on itself, T," Agent O said wisely. "Phantom might think he's free of this place and more powerful than us, but I guarantee we've still got him."

"What do you mean, sir?"

"I mean that, for two years, he stewed in his own hatred for us. He's not just angry, T; he's pissed. This power spike can only mean one thing."

"And what is that, sir?" Agent T asked.

"It means that Phantom won't rest until he gets rid of us, even if he _thinks _he's free. Whenever a ghost gains that much power on its own that quickly, it's usually a reaction of self-preservation to a threat. We're a threat to him because we still exist, and he knows it. He's gonna try to destroy us in order to feel safe again."

"But when I see him, I'm gonna make him wish he never _existed_." Agent O narrowed his eyes at T. "Don't you agree that he deserves what's coming to him?"

"Uh, y-yes, sir."

"Great. Now give me those coordinates. I need to round up our reserve squads and power up our armory with the generator. I plan to move us out by dawn tomorrow."

"By dawn, sir? But don't you think we're moving too fast into combat? What's our strategy?"

"With Phantom on the prowl, we can't move fast enough. I've been detailing a strategy since his escape." He snapped his fingers. "Oh, by the way, I want you to put a special eye on Agent K. He's been questioning authority lately. We can/t have that."

"Yes, sir."

Agent O stood up and stared at his watch. It was ten o'clock. The Ghostly Wail weapon lay completely reassembled, teeming with impatient energy. "Six hours to departure. Make sure we have everything in place. We'll be confiscating the Fenton Portal."

* * *

Back in the Ghost Zone, Maddie found herself with the resident psychologist, pulling up data on the large computer base of the PSYCH ward's lab. Sam had been given a hospital cot to sleep away her trauma, Valerie a job with security to keep herself occupied, leaving only Maddie to research into Phantom's mysterious behavior.

To see the body of her son lying unconscious on the floor, bleeding... It had taken all of Maddie's self-control not to run to the boy's side, knowing that underneath the exterior of a red-eyed monster lied the remnants of her son, and that underneath the ectoplasmic blood was a precious mixture of her and Jack's blood.

"_**H-he transformed…"**_

Maddie knew that time was running out. If she was going to save her son, she had to know what was wrong before it became irreversible. Why was he transforming into something other than just his ghost half? Why did he attack Sam?

Her straining, purple eyes stared at the computer screen as the hospital's resident psychologist offered his opinion.

"This is actually a common occurrence," the ghost psychologist stated as he pointed out the data readouts. His hands shook with old age. "Upon intense or painful memories, a person may find that they themselves cannot handle the pressure. So, they subconsciously splinter their personality into very distinctive facets, which allows that person to function in a myriad of situations. Then, whenever the core personality decides the pressure is too much, it can call forth a splinter of itself to handle it."

Maddie asked, "Has only Danny's ghost side been affected by this?"

"It's not just a question of ghost and human, Mrs. Fenton," the ghost said seriously. "It's a question of Danny's true self, and whether or not he's actually out of control." Before she could interrupt, he added, "I think we have reason to believe that Daniel's inner inhibitions are being revealed through the freedom he feels as Phantom."

"No, no, that can't be right," she defended immediately. If he _was_ right… "Danny is a wonderful boy who would never purposely hurt anyone! This isn't him! It's a fluke in his powers! It's not his real personality!"

"Mrs. Fenton, he's undergone an unimaginable stress," the psychologist tried to reason. "Certain aspects of that stress have been under lock and key for two years. He may be relying on his ghost side simply to cope with it."

"So then what?" Maddie cried. She stood up and paced the floor in worry. "Is my son lost forever? Can't he be saved, somehow?"

The psychologist bit his lip. "Ma'am, if I'm correct about this, we're looking at a dual battlefield: we first need to reestablish a physical transformation link between Danny's human and ghost half, so that way he can return to his residual self-image. Then, we secondly need to reconcile both personalities and force Phantom to understand that he is only a splinter of the true Daniel Fenton. Hopefully, this combined approach will allow Daniel to take over as the one and only personality."

She swallowed hard. "And, what if that can't be done?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if it can't be done? What if we can't reconcile Danny and Phantom?"

The psychologist sighed. "He's subconsciously projected all of his negative personality into his ghost half in order to separate it from his true self. Maddie, if we can't get him to face his true emotions, he may very well remain mentally unstable."

Before she could stop herself, she blurted out, "Well, what if we just separated Danny from Phantom?"

Something felt wrong asking it, but Maddie didn't know why.

The old ghost sighed, pulling on his thin mustache. "You'd simply be taking away his power. You see, Phantom's psyche is a part of Danny. All of Phantom's emotions and obsessions are ultimately Danny's. You will never separate that."

"So how can we reconcile them, then?"

The psychologist sighed with an idea. "It's a little of a long shot, but…" He glanced up. "You're aware of ghost obsession, yes?"

Maddie nodded, "Of course."

"We may still able to rein in this new personality with a little manipulation. According to ghost physiology and anatomy, the only way to destroy this psyche hold of Phantom's would be to destroy his true obsession. If you take away the initial driving force of any ghost, their _obsession_, you'll find that whatever negative emotions they've managed to collect will disappear along with their power."

"And since Danny's forced all of his negative emotions into Phantom, then they'll all disappear without any residual effects to his body," Maddie commented.

"But Mrs. Fenton," the psychologist warned. "psychologically, Phantom _is_ Daniel, and vice versa. To destroy Phantom's existence entirely would be to kill your son. Now that Danny has gotten used to Phantom, the effects of such a permanent separation would destroy him. And you don't want to do that, do you?"

"Of course not!" she replied adamantly.

"So we need to find a way to force the Phantom-personality into giving the Danny-personality full control without actually destroying his obsession."

Maddie sighed and placed her head in her hands, wondering why her life had gotten so complicated. "Is this the only way?"

"It's the only option we have right now, Mrs. Fenton."

"Do we even know what his ghost obsession is?"

"No, ma'am. We need to discover this as soon as possible."

She fell unusually silent, wracking her brain for used to be the mother of a wonderful, bright boy. Now, she was the mother of a ghost-human hybrid who'd been the victim of too many unspeakable tortures to reconcile his innocent self with his new-found anger.

And she couldn't help but blame herself.

* * *

Having successfully coerced hospital security into guarding Phantom's room, Valerie set the barrier, entering in the highest alert codes. Her fingers hesitated on the buttons. _**"If he hits one-hundred percent on the scale…" **_Teal eyes furrowed in confusion. "Why didn't we do this before now?" she wondered aloud, voice stiff with suspicion. "And what did she mean by 'one-hundred percent?'"

She typed in the last number and shut the cover. Immediately, soft green light leeched from the box on the wall to cover across the doors and sink into the wood. It pulsed with a quiet, calming hum.

Nearby, the guards floated with laser spears gripped tightly in their hands, like statues. Like fearful statues, despite the new barrier.

She stared at them condescendingly. "Where's Mrs. Fenton?" she suddenly interrogated the guards. They jumped.

"Don' rightfully know, Red Hunter," the first guard said quickly. "Last saw her walking down to the labs. "Haven't seen her since."

"The labs closed down an hour ago to visitors," Valerie pointed out, eyes narrowing. "What could she be doing?"

"Who knows?" the second guard replied, paranoid as he inched away from the Red Hunter.

Valerie hummed suspiciously and turned towards the labs. "Keep watch!" she called over her shoulder. "If Phantom gets out, I'll have your heads!"

"Yes, ma'am!" they chorused fearfully before returning to their posts.

Valerie pressed a button on her suit, and a reconstructed sled streamlined underneath her feet, sweeping her away to the lower levels of the hospital. Rooms, nurse stations, and care units blurred into oblivion as she surfed the air in stealth mode.

Powering down the sled, she quietly snuck across the tiles. She heard voices, one rising in an upset cadence, and the other lowering into an comforting tone. One echoed, and it resonated against the halls. A ghost?

Valerie instinctively pulled out her ecto-blaster, and she flattened herself against the wall, lifting her weapon to eye level. Then, she peeked her head around the corner.

Her eyes widened.

She lowered her blaster, her heart pulling in confusion. Maddie sat behind a computer, and her fist covered her mouth to hide a sob. The mother's shoulders stooped in shame, and she seemed to collapse in on herself, with only the shadows from the computer reflecting her sorrow. Valerie's eyebrows furrowed in concern and dark curiosity.

An elderly ghost, with large glasses and a diminished physique, gently patted the woman on the back. "It's not so bad, Mrs. Fenton," the ghost said. "What you feel right now is just a natural reaction to your son's predicament."

Valerie raised an eyebrow, curiosity spiking. The ghost vaguely reminded her of a psychiatrist, with his comforting attitude and questioning eyes. He wasn't a threat.

She stepped out from corner. "Mrs. Fenton?" she asked softly, quickly holstering her weapon. "What's wrong?"

The mother glanced up at Valerie's voice, her purple eyes red-rimmed. Tears streamed down her lightly-wrinkled face. So exhausted, she couldn't find the energy to be startled at the sudden intrusion.

"Oh, Valerie," Maddie whispered, her lips quivering. "What have I done?" She wiped away her tears, only to feel more fall down her face. "I-I…"

Hesitantly, Valerie walked forward and awkwardly patted the woman she'd come to deeply respect. She wished, in that moment, that she was better at communicating with other. "It's okay, Mrs. Fenton. Once we figure this thing out with Phantom, we can go back and find Danny."

A mix of a sob and a laugh escaped the mother. "Oh, Valerie," she returned the hug, "I'm afraid it's not that simple." The ghost psychologist, knowing what was coming, simply sighed and sat himself down at the corner computer, typing away on another patient's diagnosis.

"Sure it's simple!" Valerie argued lightly, pulling away. "We'll just get Phantom on our side, 'cause he owes me one anyway, and then he can help us to find-"

"-Valerie. Stop." Maddie closed her eyes and took Valerie's hands in hers. "I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but I think we need to talk."

"Talk? About what, Mrs. Fenton?"

"Something very important, so listen closely. Earlier, when you asked me about the one-hundred percent ectoplasm in Phantom," Maddie started, "I never answered your question. That's because it…it has something to do with my son."

"Danny?" Valerie asked, eyes lighting up. "What about Danny? How does he tie into Phantom?"

The mother tightened her hands around Valerie's. "Sit down, Valerie," she said tiredly, guiding the younger woman to a seat beside her. "You'll need it."

"And why's that?"

The seriousness in her gaze set her back as Maddie asked her, "You knew my son pretty well, right?"

Valerie nodded, "Yeah."

"So you knew that he skipped out on school and broke curfew at home?"

Valerie pressed her lips together. "Yes," she admitted, her teal gaze challenging Maddie to blame her.

"And did he ever tell you why?"

"Well, no. He never really told anyone."

Maddie closed her eyes. "Valerie, I've recently discovered why he did those things. I thought maybe he was being bullied, or I feared that he'd gotten into drugs…I always thought that maybe he'd disappeared because of something I had done, but after coming here with you and finding Phantom…"

"So what was it?" Valerie asked, curiosity and concern mounting. "Does Phantom know something about Danny? What did he tell you?"

"Phantom knows more than we initially thought. He and my son are…a-are connected."

Something uneasy dropped into her stomach. Valerie narrowed her eyes. "Connected? What do you mean?"

"I mean, they're _intertwined_. Who they are, everything that makes them up, traces back to each other." Maddie pressed her lips. "I-I never personally cared for Phantom, because I thought he was evil. But then…" she inhaled shakily, "I realized just how much he could remind me of Danny, and everything fell into place." She gently turned the computer screen for the younger woman to see.

And horrible, tragic terror washed over her like a flood.

Valerie stared at the specialist's notes in horror. There was a perfect DNA match to who Phantom was before death. "My son," Maddie said shakily, "never disappeared. He was right in front of us the whole time. And Phantom's not entirely composed of ectoplasm, like every other ghost, because he is half-human. Or, he _was_…"

"But-but, this…this isn't-" Valerie trailed off. Her teal eyes brightened with tears as the DNA readout matched a familiar name.

Fenton. Daniel James Fenton.

"My son," Maddie said, more serious than death, "_is_ Phantom, Valerie."

Something, like frightened nausea, overcame the young woman.

Her mouth moved with words, none of which managed to be voiced. Valerie's hands shook, and the seat's handles cracked underneath her strength.

"Valerie, I know that this is a tremendous shock for you, but you have to look at the facts. They have the same facial structure, the same mannerisms, the-"

"-You must be _kidding_," Valerie hissed, teal eyes flashing. "What. The. _Hell_ is-?"

"It's the truth, Valerie! I wouldn't lie about something like this!"

"Are you insane, Mrs. Fenton? This is bullshit! You can't possibly be telling me that-!"

"-I am, Valerie." Maddie's voice was strong, unwavering. She believed it.

"But h-how?" Valerie whispered, lips pressed tightly, teeth clenched. Thoughts and images raced through her mind. "Danny Fenton existed before Danny Phantom. This is…this is _impossible_…!" She waved away the computer. "This model _must _be mistaken."

Maddie shook her head. "His ENA matches Danny Fenton's DNA to a fault. I double-checked with a few Fenton devices of my own, and it's the same result every time. They look the same, they act the same… They're the same person. They… always have been. I didn't believe it at first." Maddie searched her eyes, for…approval? Acceptance? Valerie didn't know, and she didn't care.

"How can you believe this, Mrs. Fenton?" Valerie's voice rose to hysterics, and it angrily bounced off of the walls in terror and fury. "It's just not possible! Phantom's stolen, lied, cheated, and destroyed lives! Even though I know now he's capable of kindness, I also know that Phantom's actions don't add up to what I know _Danny_ would do!"

"Their version of justice is the same," Maddie said. "They're both idealists, even though their situations would force them to believe otherwise. It shows in the way they talk. They both _talk_ the same, Valerie. No two people share that quality."

Valerie moved her mouth, but no words came.

Maddie placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Valerie, stick with me, because I'm about to ask you a very important question. It affects my son, whether you know him as Danny or as Phantom." Her eyes were as serious as death. "Now that he's been in his ghost form for so long, it's taken place as his dominant side."

Valerie swallowed hard.

"And I don't know what he saw at the CGIA, but Phantom's strange behavior is a direct reaction to it." Maddie pressed her lips together before asking hesitantly, "Valerie, what happened at the CGIA?"

The Red Hunter suddenly felt cold water storm through her once again. "What…happened?"

In her mind's eye, she witnessed Phantom's body cave to its knees as wires tightened about his arms, head hung as painful shocks stole away his power. This time, he had black hair and blue eyes. Danny. Valerie swallowed hard.

Every cry…

"Please, Valerie," the mother persuaded. "If I can understand what's driving his ghost side right now, maybe I can help him."

Every plea…

"Valerie? Are you okay?"

…was _Danny_?

The younger woman swallowed hard. How could she possibly admit to Maddie she'd stood by and watched the torture of her son? She stopped.

"Wait a minute," Valerie said, shaking her head. "This isn't right! This can't be right! Phantom is _not_ Danny Fenton! Maybe…maybe they're connected somehow, but they just _can't_ be the same person!" Her voice hitched. "They can't!"

Maddie tried to calm her. "Valerie, now settle down. You need to hear-"

"-No!" she stood up and shakily backed away. "No, I don't! You're wrong!" Her chest heaved as she hyperventilated.

The scars. That sad, knowing, _old_ gaze…

The mother lightly touched her shoulder. "Valerie, I-"

She shoved Maddie out of the way and haphazardly raced out of the room, pushing the button for her sled.

Barely healed wounds reopened, and her heart bled in fear. Her friend, her teenage crush, was the same person as her once enemy? The same person she'd watched tortured, broken, forced to his knees?

In the distance, she heard the elderly ghost carefully say something about 'denial,' but the strange tears blurring her vision kept her from thinking too much about it, for a part of her knew that Maddie had simply voiced what she'd known all along...

* * *

_Okay, so this is actually just part one of the original chapter twenty-one. But since I promised to get something out by Christmas, I decided to splice up the chapter into two parts and use this next week to finish up! Hopefully, I'll update again within the next week or so, and that update will focus more on certain characters I couldn't put in these thirteen pages._

_Either way, **Merry Christmas**! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I took a few liberties in dissecting the psychological reasons why Danny would turn evil, so I hope they were understandable. I also hope that you find Valerie's reaction to be consistent with her character._

_From this point on, I have the rest of Chained mapped out! We're officially hitting the final arc in the story! Be prepared for some pretty intense chapters coming up!_

_Song Inspiration: Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? By Paloma Faith_

**1. Plot? Good or bad?**

**2. Characters? Consistent or inconsistent?**

**3. Overall feelings about it? Happy? Angry?**

**4. Questions/Comments/Criticisms?**

**5. Anything I could improve on?**

_Thank you so much for reading,_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: Don't own DP!

Thanks for the reviews and critiques, and I'm so sorry about the long wait!

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 22**

* * *

He was dreaming.

He could feel the air of the CGIA warp with smoke, and he could smell the familiar scent of sulfur and fire….

_A woman scientist quickly glanced up on her screen, her hands flying across the keyboard. "Come on!" one of the assistants cried. "We gotta go, we gotta go! Now!" _

_"I know!" the scientist snapped, eyes frantic. "I'm just trying to save everything to the flash drive!" _

_"It ain't worth it!" _

_"Yes, it is!"_

_"B-but-!" The assistant quit arguing after she saw the determination in the scientist's eyes, and she gave up the fight. She disappeared into the hall, covering her mouth with the sleeve of her white coat. _

_The scientist cursed under her breath as the download bar slowly crawled its way over. Too long. Taking way too long. A beam crashed in the hallway, splintering into laughing flames. _

_Was it really worth it?  
_

_Danny watched her movements and the way her muscles tensed as she glanced at the exit. She was going to run. _

_"No, wait!" Danny called out, hands quickly pressing against the cage's wall. His voice was muffled. "Come back! Please!" _

_The lady scientist paused, turning around. "I can't, Phantom," she apologized softly, quickly, in panic. "I'm sorry." _

_"But you know what I'm like!" he tried to argue. "You know I won't hurt anybody! Isn't that what this is about?"_

_"It's more than that!" she said, voice shaky, quickly backing away. "I-I just…I can't!"_

_"You can trust me!" he cried out to her, green eyes desperate as the flames leeched closer. _

_"But you're a ghost!" _

_"So? Why does it matter what I am?" he retaliated, throwing his hands up. _

_"Because I want to help you, but I can't!" _

_"Please! I know this must sound weird, but," he struggled to admit, "I don't want to __**die**__! Help me!" _

_"I'm sorry. I can't." The lady scientist's face morphed into Valerie's, and Danny back stepped in surprise. _

_"Sorry, Phantom," Valerie whispered, teal eyes hard. "I can't trust you." Her eyes then bled purple, and her hair turned black. Sam. _

_"Sam!" Danny called out, desperate. "Sam, please! Let me go."_

_She shook her head. _

_"I'm still here!" he pleaded with her. "I still love you!" _

_"You're just a ghost," she whispered sadly. "You're not Danny." _

_She turned the bend and disappeared down the hall without so much of a 'good bye.' And he stood there, eyes wide, heartbroken._

_This time, the flames swallowed him. _

Red eyes shot open, and Phantom gasped as he suddenly clutched his chest, where Sam had blasted him. In a daze of confusion, he slowly recollected the past events. It hurt him. She had hurt him. His gaze darkened. _How dare she? _

Remnants of the dream haunted him, but the ghost simply growled and cast the thoughts away for more important things.

Slowly, he sat up in the bed and pulled away his hand, surveying the damage on his body. The threads of his jumpsuit were slowly re-stitching back together, over the scarred skin of his chest. He groaned, falling back once again. She'd done a number on him.

His red eyes darkened, wishing that he could hate her. But he knew that he could never hate his obsession, even as he rested in pain for her actions. She was far too precious and wild and _his_ to be hated.

_It's called love, _came an echoing feeling-essence-presence of his former self.

_Shut up_, he miserably answered.

_No._

A horrible, twisting sensation poured through Phantom, and he realized it was a pure light, like the sun. It felt blue, and a vision reminiscent of Danny's eyes seared through the darkness. Phantom grimaced, and his fangs bit into his lip. "Dammit," he groaned as his head pulsed. He wanted to bare his fangs at the sudden pressure in his mind. "Why are you _fighting_? I'm trying to protect you, idiot!"

Nevertheless, the pressure intensified. He gasped as the blue light suddenly seared too intensely, and his eyes rolled up, closing.

_**I'm**__ taking over now. _

The synapses of his mind glowed with pure energy, and the darkness of Phantom could not stand against it.

Within seconds, bright, green eyes stared up at the ceiling, desperately drinking in the sight. _His_ sight. He'd won this time. Danny quickly stared at the clock and then relaxed in relief when it was only a quarter past. Good. He hadn't been out of control for too long.

His eyes glanced around the room, in fear that he would never see it again. He forced his lungs to breathe, in fear that they would never work again. Danny closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the air fresh and warm.

Suddenly, everything was more precious.

Reality was far better than being shoved in the background. Whenever he blacked out, it was cold. He felt like he was asleep, with only distant whispers and wisps of a memory not his own to pour through his dreams. He couldn't feel pain or joy. It was like…staring into a mirror that reflected a different mirror across the room. To wade through the darkness-it felt like the ocean-took more energy than it used to.

And even now, he could feel that same ocean pressing and storming against him. The waves of Phantom's power surged in restless anger.

He sighed shakily.

_Let me take over_, the ocean of power demanded. _You can't handle this. I can. The CGIA is coming soon, and look at what they did to you before! You think you can handle that again? _

Pulling off one of his gloves, Danny stared at the still-puckered white scar that wrapped up his wrist and disappeared underneath his suit. They were the remnants of the soul-sucking pull of the wires that drained him and brought him to his knees, seared forever into his skin.

He rubbed his shoulder, which ached something awful. An electric, winding scar lifted up from his skin, and his fingertips shook as his mind's eye remembered its placing. The strike of the whip. "_N-no! Stop! Please…!_"

There were many more scars like that, ones that cut even deeper and stood out even darker against his pale skin. Somewhere in his mind remained the memories of those times in the CGIA, and he knew they would never go away. He knew, without those scars, without the knowledge of true, human cruelty, he would never have lost control of himself.

He would have never felt true _hatred_.

A spike of anger lit his eyes red before he shook himself out of it. No, no, he couldn't think like that.

_You want them to die, don't you? _

_**No!**_

If he let his anger get the best of him again…

_You want them to suffer, don't you? _

_**N-no!**_

_You want revenge, don't you? _

_…Don't you?_

But it was too late. Phantom's power, replenished by the spike in his own anger, overwhelmed him.

_Danny, let me take care of this. You know I can protect us. I can get us revenge. _

At the same time, Valerie haphazardly opened the door, her ecto-blaster raging as she stared him down.

The room dropped a few degrees.

"Ah, the Red Hunter," Phantom greeted coldly, eyes flashing in defense. His fingernails lengthened into claws, and they sunk deep into the mattress as he sat up. "My favorite rival."

Valerie's eyes were haunted. "Y…you," she whispered, desperate to say something, challenge him, ask him _why_. Nothing came out.

It was there. She finally saw it. The tilt of his chin, the space between his eyes. The line of his jaw. In her mind's eye, the image of Danny and the image of Phantom crossed and overlapped in a perfect match. Every feature, although more emaciated, was an exact, precise match of the image she had in her mind. It was Danny. Phantom was _Danny_.

And yet, now he wasn't.

"Why, Val, you look like you've seen a ghost," he mocked.

She sputtered, unable to retaliate. _This was a bad idea_, some side of her said. _Mayday! Bad idea! You're not ready for this!_

"Stay back!" she demanded, back stepping uneasily as he pushed off of the bed and into the air.

"Aww, Valerie," he mocked, stretching unused muscles as he floated. "I'm tired of being locked up. Don't I even get a play time?"

She swallowed hard. With full knowledge of who Danny Phantom was, she hesitated to shoot. "Don't push your luck, ghost," she said, eyes narrowing.

He frowned again and stopped stretching. "What's this? I thought we were just getting to know each other…What's with the sudden attitude?"

The way his lips pulled downward suddenly reminded her so much of Daniel Fenton. She couldn't stand it.

Maddie was right. Dammit, she was _right_.

Her world was flipped, turning, and reconfiguring, and Valerie had no idea how to handle it.

"I…I trusted you!" she shouted, betrayed. Her teal eyes flared with confusion and anger. "I trusted you to tell me the truth!"

"I'll always tell the truth to you, Val," he said, almost comfortingly. It clashed with his mocking eyes, and she felt bile rise in her throat. This was not _Danny_. "You just have to ask me the right question."

"Tell me," she said immediately. She needed confirmation. "Tell me you're not Daniel Fenton."

Phantom's horrible, red eyes leveled with hers. "I'm not anymore," he said honestly, smirking.

"But were you?" she pressed. When he didn't answer, she raised her blaster. "_Were_ you?"

The ghost raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he admitted proudly.

The weapon shook in her grip, and she lowered it, swallowing hard.

"You're not going to shoot me," Phantom said in confidence. He was right.

"No," she lowered her blaster. Anger still flared in her eyes. "But you lied to me. About everything. About your past, your death, the girl you loved who's probably _Sam_, right? The disappearance of Danny Fenton, and…_Ooh_," she shook in anger, "when you wake up outta this, you and I are gonna have _words_. You hear me?" She cracked her knuckles.

He suddenly materialized right before her, nose to nose. "And how are you going to, so called, _wake_ me up?" he whispered, red eyes flaring.

"I'm going to get my friend back," she replied forcefully, eyes narrowed. "Whether he goes by Danny or Phantom."

"But I'm both."

"You're neither!" she shouted back. "You're not the Danny I remember nor the Phantom I accepted! You're a monster!" When he laughed and spun around her, she quickly backed off. "Get _away_ from me!" She tried to push him away as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind. "The _hell _are you doing?" She sputtered out half words and fragments of her frustration and anger. "Shouldn't Sam be the one you're doing this to?"

"I want Sam dead," he said, nuzzling into her. "I want you alive."

Something in his voice caught her off guard.

"Wha-?"

"Sam is my obsession," he explained patiently as she continued to struggle against his steel grip. "I love her. I want her with me forever. And if she's a ghost that I've created, she'll live forever." Something, like an excited chill, shook his shoulders.

"But you," he said, and his voice froze her, "I want you alive, so that way you'll provide me with the challenge I need. I don't want to control you. I don't want you to ever die, because then that would spoil my fun." He breathed in her scent, and he ran his hand down her spandex-clad spine in admiration.

Fully aware that his powers were freezing her in place, Valerie struggled against his touch, face blushing in embarrassment and anger. Her fingers managed to clench into a fist, and she quickly gripped her holstered weapon, flipping it backwards to pull the trigger against his stomach.

His stomach dematerialized into smoke, and he spun about her in a laugh as she regained total control of her body. "You see? You almost shot me! Next to Sam, you're the only human worth my time!"

Desperately attempting to control her flushed expression, she frowned angrily. "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but know that I'm gonna stop you!"

"Come on, Val," he enticed her slowly. "You _do_ know me. You know me better than anyone else. All those times when we fought. Sure, Danny was in control, but sometimes he slipped, and it was _me_. And you know it."

The Red Hunter growled. "Danny never 'slipped.'"

"Never?" Phantom questioned. He spiraled to her shoulder, "I believe I left a scar right here."

She gasped as his cold fingers permeated her suit, and she back stepped. "The hell?" she snapped. "Don't you understand personal space?" Her hand spread over her shoulder, right where her scar rested.

"That was me," Phantom said, satisfied in his reminiscing. "I put that there on you."

"Danny said it was an accident," Valerie replied firmly. "He apologized for weeks."

"And I enjoyed your pain for weeks," the ghost willingly admitted. "Although, if I ever killed you, I'd feel very sad. I never want you to die, Valerie."

Her face twisted. "What am I, a freakin' toy? The _hell _sort of answer is that? You don't want me to die, but you want to hurt me? You're sick, Phantom."

"I've been sick," he replied easily, "for a very long time. The CGIA specializes in making me sick." He smiled a cruel smile.

At that, Valerie realized she wasn't getting anywhere. Her frustration mounted. This ghost was more than just a harm to himself. "Look, obviously you don't care about anything but your stupid 'revenge.' But, if Danny _is _in there," Valerie said, voice halting in hesitation, "then…tell him that we all need him right now, 'cause we can't afford this game anymore." She turned around to walk away.

Suddenly, Phantom's red eyes darkened in fury. "No!" He rounded back on her. "Danny won't help you! I won't let him!"

Valerie, surprised at his outburst, had no time to dodge his attack. He smacked away her blaster and slammed her against the wall, his claws digging into her shoulders as he held her fast. "You," he hissed at her, the irises of his eyes twisting in a form of accusation and hatred, "have no idea what we suffered in the name of helping others!" His dark gaze stared at her bare neck, and he lightly ran his claws down her jugular vein. "To protect innocent flesh," he whispered. "More innocent than yours."

She swallowed hard as his claws lightly pricked her skin, and she wondered if he would simply slit her throat right then in there. "We," he whispered, "have scars that would've killed any other. And yet no one saw that we just wanted to help, to protect!"

"You destroyed more than you protected," she whispered in a scoff, defiant even under the threat of death. "Why do you think I never believed you were good?"

"No one," he admitted, red eyes flickering in uncertainty, "appreciated us for what we did. Instead, the CGIA tortured us and made us feel hate. And you want me to protect those people? Protect the CGIA from what it _deserves_?"

"You can't just go out and murder people, Phantom," Valerie retaliated, wincing as she struggled to pull away from his claws. "Justice doesn't work that way!"

Something in her mind clicked, and she realized her own hypocrisy.

"Oh, so I can't take an eye for an eye? I can't make them bleed the way they made me bleed?" His red eyes bore into hers. "You saw me. You've seen my scars. And you _know_, somewhere, that I have a right to kill."

"Danny would never believe that," Valerie whispered harshly. "Danny believed in forgiveness. He forgave me for everything, and I was a part of the CGIA! I know Danny would fight, but he'd never kill if he didn't have to!"

"Danny is no longer in control. _I_ am," he snarled at her. "He's the one who loves and forgives. I am the one who protects and destroys, and _I_ will decide when I am needed and when I am not." He roughly released her, and she glared at him. The two stood silently at an impasse.

Valerie wanted to shoot him until he got sense back. This was ridiculous. She narrowed her eyes at the face of Daniel Fenton, who was no longer Daniel Fenton nor Phantom. Her heart ached with the fierce loyalty and the need to see her friend back in his right mind.

The way Danny Phantom had talked with her, while they were stuck in the fire…

She wanted that back. She wanted his true spirit back.

"I can't believe you," she suddenly spoke up in challenge. "People don't just change like this! What happened to being the hero?"

On the brink of insanity, Phantom's lips thinned into a sardonic, mocking smile. "You're stuck with me, Valerie. Being the hero never helped us," he seethed. "So why not be the villain?"

"Because I trusted you to be my _friend_, not my enemy," Valerie whispered, teal eyes narrowed. "So I don't trust you right now. You're powerful, Phantom, and back in the fire I realized for the first time that maybe you had the sense to wield it. Now, I'm not so sure."

"Then," he whispered, "doesn't that make you my enemy once again? Now that you know the true me, do you not like me anymore?"

"I liked you a lot better when you weren't bent on revenge," she bit back angrily. "I definitely don't like you right now. You're not my friend. But you're the body of my friend, and there ain't no way I'm leaving you now. Not like this."

He pulled away from her, staring at her with his red eyes. He saw what she was getting at. "You can't control me, Valerie," he told her suddenly. "You can't change my mind. When the CGIA hits this dimension, I _will_ destroy every last one of them. I'm going to make this world a _paradise_ for Sam and I. And I will show everyone what true justice is."

"Oh, yeah? What makes you think you know what that is, huh?" Valerie demanded.

He never answered her. Instead, shadowy copies of himself surrounded her, and they molded together and blurred like laughing pictures. "I'm going to build an _empire_," he whispered in her ear, like a weighted secret. "And my reign will bring an era of justice of that will challenge even the Laws of Old."

"Yeah, and lemme guess: Sam's gonna be your queen?" Valerie deadpanned, crossing her arms. "Phantom, you got some real perspective problems."

His gaze turned distant, and when he smiled, his fangs poked out. "On the contrary, Sam has _always_ been my queen. Everything I do is for her. I protect for her. I destroy for her." His red eyes glazed in blood lust. "And I'm going to kill, so that no one can ever come between us again."

Her lips curled in disgust. The turning depths of his insanity spun out to her in tendrils and spun her curly hair as she fought to break away from his teasing aura. "Stop that!"

"Let me show you what I mean," he whispered, and tendrils of his power intertwined into the back of her neck before she could move.

She couldn't fight it, and her teal eyes widened as visions poured out in front of her. The edges of her sight blurred into fantastic, ectoplasmic green. Her heart pounded with the strain…

_Phantom stood above the ruined skyscrapers and roadways of the human world. The sky shimmered between blue and Ghost Zone green, and twisted doorways spun in the clouds. Ghosts and humans alike bowed in reverent fear. _

_Below him stood the final resistance against him, and Phantom's dark, twisted eyes locked in on the Guys in White's shack of headquarters. _

_Phantom spiraled up into the air, his clawed fingertips opening to reveal waves of power. They tunneled into a large tsunami and shot down to engulf the building in a deafening blast of emerald lighted flames. _

_As the citizens cowered, a ghostly woman in a beautiful and darkly tattered dress materialized from the night. Blood trailed from her purple lips, and the glow that emitted from her body matched Phantom's. She clapped lightly, and he turned around. Suddenly, the evil expression upon his face twisted into great, possessive love, and his eyes burned with lust. _

_He flew to her and tightly pulled her to him. "For you," he whispered lovingly, his hands settling on her waist. _

_Her fingers trailed down his temples, brushing back his locks and stroking down to his neck, where hints of his jagged scars stood against his jumpsuit. "Now we can __**live**__," she whispered as desire darkened her gaze, "without anyone to get in our way." _

_The shivering humans and ghosts below screamed in pain and fear as Sam suddenly turned and swiped her claws in the air. Phantom's power emitted in swirling vortexes. _

_The dull thud of dead bodies and Sam's sigh of satisfaction echoed. Blood and ectoplasm splattered the ground. _

Suddenly, the vision blacked out, and Phantom's power flew out of Valerie. She gasped and nearly collapsed as her foundation fell out from under her. Her legs felt like jelly. The ground felt like it was tilted sideways.

Nausea.

"I want this. This is my will," Phantom whispered, and it sent chills down her spine. "And if you get in my way, I _will _make you regret it." He turned red eyes in warning.

Valerie's wide eyes blinked, and she couldn't catch her breath. The images of death-of innocent people!-stormed through her and settled deep in her uncertain soul. The dark power that tainted Sam clung to her own body. The blood and ectoplasm felt as if it slipped from her own fingers.

Her hands trembled. For the first time, Valerie truly was afraid. Everything felt real. Phantom's vision was a prophecy of the future.

She stumbled backwards, her hands groping for the door handle. He didn't stop her. She slammed the door shut, and it echoed like a shout.

In her fear, Phantom decided as he stared at the closed door, she was actually quite beautiful. He smirked at the thought and then pondered how beautiful the whole world would be under his reign. And he and Sam, together…forever…

* * *

The minute the door slammed shut and the barrier was reinstated, Valerie closed her eyes. Her fingers still shook with the reality of Phantom's power and vision. Her stomach turned uneasily. Her disillusioned mind raced.

"No way in hell I'm letting you outta here," she whispered. "I am not gonna let you become some terrorist and destroy who you really are."

Then, she closed her eyes, and it surprised her to feel tears slid down her face.

_What have you __**become**__? _

Phantom was gone. This wasn't him. She'd failed him. Daniel Fenton was gone. She'd failed him too.

"I've gotta set things _right_."

But, in the face of depravity, she had no idea how, without destroying him. And her face still burned with the way his gloved fingertips had trailed down her spine…

* * *

_Wow. You know, I still have trouble with this whole "time flies" concept. Is it really the middle of April? Am I really almost done with my first year in college?_

_So I realized earlier today that I had this chapter lying dormant in my laptop, and I thought it'd be a good idea to update before somebody thought I'd died. :) This chapter is more or less exploring the "new" side of Phantom, who is obsessed with Sam and is the main part of Danny's psyche where all of his confusion and hatred for the CGIA has been stashed. I wanted to explore the new strains between Danny and Valerie's already tentative friendship, because Valerie has already pledged her loyalty to him, and yet he's no longer the same person. Kinda interesting dynamic. But then, I also feel like Danny being Phantom came off a little understated in this chapter because of this. :/ Either way, I hope you liked this chapter! The things discussed in this chapter are kinda what set up the final arc of this story. Please give me feedback! I'm definitely in unchartered waters right now, haha. _

**1. Plot? Good or Bad?**

**2. Characters? Consistent or Inconsistent?**

**3. Overall feelings? Happy, sad, mad, intrigued?**

**4. Questions, comments, criticisms?**

**5. Anything I can improve on?**

_Thank you guys so much for reading,_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

Disclaimer: Don't own DP.

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 23**

* * *

Six hours had come and gone. The Fenton Ghost Portal had easily been confiscated by the CGIA (the half-hearted Jack Fenton, with both wife and son gone, could hardly glare at them as they handed him their government-issued warrant. The man had even abandoned his fudge, which was clearly a sign of his mental discontent).

The Ghost Zone, with their looming presence and great ship, was nearly abandoned. Guys in White stared in amazement as strange and spinning doors floated aimlessly past them.

Phantom was around, somewhere. Waiting for them, surely.

"We're approaching coordinates." Agent O stared at the computer, where tracking signals mapped out a twisting path to the location of Phantom. The ship shuddered with the strain of the Ghost Zone's pressure. "Initiate Operation White Fang."

"Yes, sir. Operation White Fang initiating." The younger agent pushed multiple buttons. On the convoy ship, the defense mechanisms whined up to full power. "Defense systems at eighty-seven percent and counting."

"Initiate second task."

He pushed the second button. "Offense starboard and port systems running at ninety-two percent. Initiating second task of rerouting energy to core generators."

The agent pushed up three levers, and the computer screen monitoring the two-story generators came to life. The convoy ship whined and grumbled at the sudden strain of containing such power. Three huge, steel generators steamed, and every light bulb brightened. Other agents glanced around nervously.

"Agent O," one of them asked, glancing back at the generators. "Are you sure these will work against Phantom?"

"They store two _years _of Phantom's power," Agent O replied easily, "and each generator can theoretically destroy the world three times over. Trust me, we have enough power. If we use it wisely, we can defeat him with his own power. For good."

Agent O paced on the balcony deck of the ship, dark eyes flashing with calculations. "I _will_ bring down Phantom," he told them. "Punks like him deserve to be eradicated."

Agent T came up and leaned against the railings. "How much farther do we have?"

"We're within one-hundred clicks." Agent O stared out at the vast ocean of green mist and twisting doors. "Not much longer."

* * *

Maddie's eyes widened as she stared at the computers which housed the hospital's inbuilt security systems. She pressed a button on her earpiece. "Sam?" she said. "We got problems. We're picking up foreign signals. Whatever it is, it's got traces of Phantom's ectoplasmic signature in it, and it's powerful."

On the other side of the hospital, Sam held the earpiece closer, mind racing as her eyes widened. "The Guys in White?" she whispered.

"I think so," Maddie sighed, glancing down. "Looks like they're saving their power. The signal isn't moving very fast. We've got about three hours before they get here."

Sam began pacing. "What are our options?"

"Nothing great," the mother replied. "We can set up the hospital's barrier to its highest level, but if they're powered with Danny's-" she stopped, feeling a strange wave of motherly sorrow and injustice overwhelm her. "If…they use what they stole from Danny, they'll break through this second rate barrier in no time."

"How many people do we have?"

"You, me, and Valerie," Maddie replied. "This is a _hospital_, Sam; doctors and citizen ghosts can't fight."

Sam's mind was racing. "How many signals are you picking up?"

Maddie watched as the corner of the computer's screen slowly flickered with incoming dots. As they began to inch across the screen, they began to spread into a massive wave. "A lot," she whispered.

"Enough for Danny to sense them?"

"Yes," the mother replied. "And if he hasn't sensed them yet, he will soon."

"Great." Sam rubbed her temples. "Just wonderful." Horrible worry overtook her. "So Danny goes insane, and that's when the CGIA comes to knock on the door…Do we even have a workable strategy?"

Another thought hit her. "…What should we do about him?" she asked the other woman. "I mean, he's not exactly in his right mind. Those CGIA guys get here, and Danny'll go off on a war path."

The mother lowered her head, closing her eyes. "I don't know, Sam," she whispered honestly. "We can't expect to win in a full attack. We don't have that kind of power. We also can't expect Danny to fight; in his state right now, I don't think he'd stop just with the CGIA."

Sam bit her lip. "So we gotta keep him from fighting at all costs. But how can we win against the CGIA if Danny doesn't fight with us?"

"We won't win through a fight. We'll have to stop them some other way," Maddie replied.

"…Is it bad," Sam asked suddenly, "if I said I almost _wanted_ Danny to pulverize the Guys in White? His scars…" she closed her eyes at the fleeting memories of when he'd barely phased into her room after escaping his prison. "They just…"

"I know, Sam. I know." If she could have, Maddie would've switched lives with her son, just to protect him. Her motherly instincts wore at her conscience with the knowledge that she had utterly failed. At the very least, she knew that Danny deserved some sort of justice for what had been done against him. "But Phantom isn't the Danny we know."

Maddie also knew that allowing Phantom to dish out justice would result in catastrophe. "We can't let him give in to that hatred, Sam," Maddie told her.

"Mrs. Fenton?" Sam asked, her voice crackling over the ear piece with a sorrow that made Maddie's heart twist

"Yes, dear?"

"What…what do we do?" Sam paused, and Maddie realized for the first time that Sam was on the brink of crying. "Because I don't know what to do, and I normally always know what to do, and…" she trailed off. "And I'm so _sick_."

There was an understanding silence between them for some time. The sickness of uncertainty and pain was one that wore harshly on the heart.

"I think," Maddie said slowly, "our best tactic is to immobilize Phantom and discuss terms with the CGIA through Valerie."

Sam swallowed hard. It sounded logical. "Okay," she said. "Okay, we can work with that…" She exhaled a heavy sigh. "But I don't think Danny's gonna like it."

"I know he won't. But if my son murders-" Maddie could hardly imagine it "-then who's going to believe he's really the hero?"

_**Save me, mom…**_

_**Tell me I'm still here!**_

"We have to protect him from that future, Sam." Maddie's brilliant eyes looked up at the ceiling, searching for a way to save her son. But the ceiling wasn't heaven, and the powers that be were silent. "I can't let my baby boy turn into everything he's not. Even if that means getting justice some other way."

* * *

Valerie paced, fighting herself. Her teal eyes brightened with frustrated tears. Her mind kept turning with horrible guilt and shame and images of her friend in both of his forms. Danny Fenton was Danny Phantom.

Danny Phantom was insane. It was partially her fault.

What if she had finally found him, and had seen him for his true self in that fire, only to be forced to destroy him in order to protect everyone else? What if she couldn't get her friend back from the monster he'd become in his insanity? What if…what if he was already gone?

She glanced down at her arm, which was still healing from her previous injuries. Flashes of things, like Phantom's concerned green eyes, tormented her, and it hurt. She didn't want to admit it, but it hurt.

Dammit, she kinda liked the man when he wasn't mentally unstable…They could've been friends. They could've been a dynamic duo of ghost hunters, working with each other instead of against one another…

But in the midst of her musings, a small beeping noise interrupted her and tore into her memory of green eyes with cold calculation.

She glanced down at her red, computerized sleeve. CGIA messages and signals beeped and soared on her tracker. For a moment, nothing registered. A part of her wondered why the CGIA was even emitting a mass signal. Then it hit her.

Her teal eyes widened. "Oh no."

Suddenly, everything came into focus. A very real fear gripped her, storming ice water down her spine.

She ran to Maddie.

* * *

"Mrs. Fenton?" Valerie's voice suddenly called out in echoes. "Mrs. Fenton!"

Maddie glanced up curiously and said into the earpiece, "Sam, hold on a minute."

Valerie appeared, racing into a stumble through the hall. Her teal eyes were wildly unsettled. "Mrs. Fenton, I just picked up a signal! It's the CGIA!"

Maddie nodded wearily. "I'm picking them up on the hospital's security system." She moved the computer screen to show Valerie. "Does this frequency match your signal?"

The younger woman nodded. "They're not far from here then," Valerie said breathlessly, leaning over on her knees. "Maybe eighty clicks. What do we do? What do we do?"

Maddie was thoughtful, even as her mind raced in panic. "That's what we're working on right now. We'll maximize the barrier, for starters." The mother turned concerned eyes at her. "But I know we can't fight the CGIA head-on."

Valerie gave a reluctant nod. "Maddie, I went in there, and he's…he's not the same." She pointed outside. "If we let Phantom go out there, he's gonna kill them all. He's gonna go ape shit. If we don't hold him back-" her expression twisted in guilty pain "-he'll become what I always accused him of being."

"I know, Valerie. We've got about three hours to decide a strategy."

"Look, I think we need to seal him," Valerie said. "You know, like cyro-stasis? It'll keep him from hurting himself or us. Then I can lie to the CGIA and say I've got everything under control."

"Would they believe you, Valerie?" Maddie asked.

She hardened her gaze. "I'll make them believe me. Even if they don't, my authority overrides most of them. I can get them off our backs long enough for us to get Danny back to normal."

"Then how do we…seal my son?" Maddie asked. "And who would do it?"

Sam's voice echoed in her ears, but this time, it wasn't over the ear piece. She was walking towards them.

"I'll do it," Sam declared suddenly. "And I think I know a way."

They both turned in surprise. "What?" Valerie narrowed her gaze in suspicion. "You? Seriously?"

"Sam," Maddie said gently, "I really don't think-"

She spun around. "Mrs. Fenton, you know we can't allow Phantom to fight against the Guys in White." Her purple eyes grew pained. "But he might hurt you or Valerie, and we need you both for when the CGIA actually gets here_. I've _got to stop him."

"Not like this, Sam," she admonished, waving to Valerie. "It's too dangerous for you. When Valerie came back from seeing him, she-"

"-I'm not Valerie," she cut in. "And I know exactly what I'm doing. I love him. He loves me. I've got an advantage. I _can_ stop him."

Valerie crossed her arms. "I love that I'm standing right here, and you're talking like I'm not."

Sam glared at her. "Shut up, Valerie. This isn't about you." Her eyes hardened with a will as strong as Phantom's. "If I can seal him, then we can guarantee that he's safe and away from the CGIA, like you said."

Maddie glanced her way. "What would you seal him with?"

Sam quickly replied, "I picked up a hospital layout from their records department earlier this morning. Thought it'd come in handy for when we planned an attack against the CGIA." Her gaze flickered up to Valerie's. "I heard something about cyro-stasis, and it hit me."

Sam pulled out a crumpled paper from her back pocket and opened it for them. She set it down on Maddie's desk and pointed her finger to a specific area of the blueprint. "Each room has an emergency cyro-stasis chamber for actual containment of unstable patients. The chamber is then sealed down inside the core of the hospital's basement until whatever the patient needs is available. If I can get Phantom inside one of these chambers, we can seal him safely and out of the way of the CGIA."

"And how do you plan to get him inside one of these chambers?" Maddie asked in concern. "I doubt that he'd just agree and walk in one."

"I guess," Sam said, "I'm just gonna have to convince him."

Valerie's jaw dropped. "Are you crazy? That's the worst plan I've ever heard! Did you hear anything I said earlier? This guy's talking about mass extermination of the CGIA and world conquest! You can't just waltz in there!"

"He's not just a _guy_ to me, Valerie," Sam replied immediately, eyes as hard as amethyst gems. "I love him. I'll do anything."

"Sam, you don't understand what he showed me." Valerie stood up. "You're the last person that needs to go in there. If anyone should do it, it should be me."

"I'm the first person that needs to go in there," Sam retorted. "I know what he wants to do to me, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"He's gonna kill you, Sam," Valerie shook her head stubbornly. "I swear you won't walk out of there alive."

"Then it's a risk I'm willing to take." Something very serious overcame Sam. "This is our only chance."

"Valerie has a point, Sam," Maddie interjected. "We've no idea what he could possibly-"

"-Yes!" Sam retaliated angrily. "Yes, I do know what he'll do! He'll try to control me, like he did before. But we don't have any other choice." She swallowed hard. "You've gotta trust me on this."

"Are you _sure_ this is a good idea?" Maddie asked one more time.

"I _need_ to see him, Mrs. Fenton."

The Mother wrung her hands, purple eyes tearing up. She loved her son. She loved Sam as her future daughter-in-law. One of them, or both, was going to get hurt.

"It's okay," Sam tried again. "I'll get this done before the CGIA gets here. Danny'll stop Phantom if he tries anything to hurt me."

Tense, indecisive silence.

Maddie's lips pursed. "Fine. But I'm not letting you go without some weapons first."

Sam nodded. "Deal."

Five minutes later found them rushing down multiple flights of stairs near the outside of the hospital. There, in the first level storages rested the old Specter Speeder, brought in for their convenience. Its streamlined body glowed along its main power lines, humming, waiting to be useful.

"There's a few things in here I think you should take," Maddie said. "Keep in mind you'll be under a time constraint."

She pushed a button on her utility belt, and the Specter Speeder's lights blinked. The side door unlatched and hissed as it lifted up. "What I'm about to lend you is very special to me, and I ask that you be careful with it." Maddie kneeled into the Speeder, opening up the driver's seat pockets.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it?"

The older woman searched through a multitude of small gadgets and devices. Clinks and shifting metal echoed through the storage room. "I know it's in here somewhere," Maddie said under her breath.

Her fingers clanged against a small band, and her eyes lit up. "Aha!" she said in triumph, pulling it up into the light.

She spun it in her grasp and opened the clasp. It was a streamlined, silver bracelet.

She pushed Sam's long sleeve up and clasped the silver around her slim wrist, and it shrunk to fit snuggly against Sam's skin. Two small outlines of circles rested within the silver. "Jack gave me this a couple of anniversaries ago," Maddie explained with a sentimental look. "If you push in, the left button triggers an electric shock felt only by ghosts. The right will sound an alarm that corresponds any Fenton device in the vicinity. You can reach me through that."

"Oh, and one more thing," Maddie said, turning around. The older woman rummaged through the backseat of the Speeder, throwing aside useless weapons and gadgets once more before finding an ecto-blaster. "I would hope you wouldn't have to use this either," she said. "But you can't be too careful."

Sam took the ecto-blaster, and her fingers gripped it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "Yeah."

The mother gave her a wry grin. "If you do have to use it, just don't hurt him too much. You make forceful points."

A little smile made its way on Sam's stressed face. "I'll try not to."

She placed her hands on Sam's shoulders. "Now, you be careful, okay?" Maddie told her. "I'm letting you go in there because I trust your judgment. But Valerie and I will be standing outside, just in case. If you realize you need help, you push that center button." She searched Sam's aged, purple eyes, almost in disbelief at the crazy risk the girl was about to take.

In that moment, she realized that Samantha Manson had truly grown up, just as her son had.

This was the girl who'd shoved her son in the dirt and given him his first scar. This was the girl who'd become his best friend afterwards. This was the woman who would now heal all the scars the world had lashed on her son's back. Except, of course, for that first scar with which he lost his heart to her. Sam was more than just a girl with a cranky attitude. She was more than just Danny's girlfriend. Sam was suddenly another daughter, the soul mate of her son, and she deeply cared for her.

Maddie's concern was not lost upon Sam.

"Thank you, Mrs. Fenton. For everything," Sam said, sliding her sleeve back over her arm to hide the snug bracelet. Against normal behavior, she hesitated and then pulled the older woman into a quick hug, squeezing her eyes shut. "I really appreciate it."

Stunned, Maddie's eyes softened and watered. She patted her back and said, "Anytime, dear."

"I _can _get Danny back," Sam said, pulling away. "You can count on me."

"I know you can, Sam. I just don't want you to get hurt." She smiled a watery smile. "Now let's go, before the CGIA gets here."

But as they walked away, a muffled tone suddenly blared out from the Specter Speeder. Maddie and Sam both stopped. "Is that-?" Sam asked curiously.

The mother's expression twisted. "Huh, I think it is."

A ringtone of the Ghostbuster theme song was coming from between the cushions of the backseat. _"If there's something strange in your neighborhood, and it don't look good; who ya gonna call? Ghostbusters!" _It oddly clashed with the mood of it all, and yet it oddly didn't. Sam's lips twitched up in a smile. "Ya might wanna answer it. Could be important."

Then it hit Maddie that it was most likely her own cell phone (that Jack had lost in his last experiment), and she rushed towards it. "You go on ahead, Sam!" she called over her shoulder. "I'll meet you upstairs!"

"Kay."

The surprising thought that her cell phone worked at all in the Ghost Zone flickered across her mind, and her respect for her provider grew immensely. "Who could that be?" she muttered under her breath as she flung open the door and ransacked for the source of the sound.

There, in the backseat.

Maddie's eyes locked on the cell phone and grabbed it. "_Who ya gonna call? Ghost-!" _She pushed the button and lifted it to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered uncertainly.

"Mom!" Jazz's relieved voice came over the speakers. "I'm so glad you're okay! I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours!"

Motherly instincts pulled. "I'm sorry, Jasmine. Everything's been happening… I've been very, very busy."

"Busy with what, exactly?" Jazz paused. "Tucker's over here at my apartment right now, and we've been trying to locate you. We bumped a ride on the CGIA's frequency and found yours, but it's from an area in the Ghost Zone we're both unfamiliar with."

Maddie bit her lip. "You may not believe this, but I'm in a dimensional rift within the Ghost Zone. Valerie and I were trying to find Danny Phantom."

Jazz swallowed hard. "Listen, the news is going crazy right now. The CGIA just launched a huge counterattack against Danny Phantom, and they're coming after him. Tucker's tracking their movement; he says you have about two and a half hours. They've confiscated the Fenton Portal."

"Oh no! Are you alright, sweetie? Is Jack okay?" Maddie immediately asked, worried. "Did they destroy the lab?"

"Yeah, we're all okay. No, they didn't hurt anything. Dad's still back there. The CGIA took most of their soldiers with them through the Portal, but there's about twenty of them guarding the Portal right now. We wanted to give you a heads up. And we also wanted to let you know we're gonna try and meet you at your location."

"Sweetheart, I don't think-"

"-Mom, if you know as much as I think you do, then you also know that he's my family too." Jazz's voice was adamant. "I refuse to sit around for him to get wasted by the CGIA."

The mother sighed. "Just be careful, sweetheart," Maddie warned. "I know you're an adult and can make your own decisions, but this is a little more involved than a psychology book."

"I know, Mom. I've known for a really long time." She paused, and then with great emotion, admitted, "I'm so glad that you know now too."

"I wish I had known sooner," the mother mourned. "I could have helped before this situation got out of hand. I wouldn't have shot at my own son if I'd known Phantom was him!" She pressed her lips together to hold back her sorrow. "Jazz, I would've tried to save him."

"Speaking of which," Jazz asked hesitantly, "are you with him? Right now?"

"Not right now, but I've been with him. He's…" something hitched in her throat. "Sweetie, he is very ill."

Jazz's expression furrowed. "How so? Tucker and I have been monitoring output frequencies surrounding your location, and it looks like Danny's even more powerful than he was before."

"It's not really my area of expertise," Maddie admitted, "but I'm not talking about just physical health. Jazz, your brother isn't himself."

"Post traumatic stress disorder?" the daughter offered up, teal eyes furrowing in concern. "Is his power spike some sort of reaction to his time at the CGIA?"

Maddie sighed and realized that hiding the truth was pointless. "Probably. He can't turn human, and he has these…moments where he forgets himself and calls himself 'Phantom.'"

Jazz's mind was racing. "That's not good," she said slowly. Words, like _multiple personality disorder_, were on the tip of her tongue.

They just didn't seem to fit in with her memory of Danny.

"Is this 'Phantom,' then…malevolent?" Jazz quickly asked, swallowing hard. "Does he exhibit any specific aspects of Danny's personality?"

"The psychologist here understands it better than I do," Maddie said, "but yes, Jazz. Phantom is feeding off of Danny's experience with the CGIA. He's very…angry about it. We're having trouble keeping him in a barrier, so Sam's gonna go in and try to lock him into cyro-stasis using the hospital's equipment."

Something, like the need to change time, to reverse its effects, to protect her younger brother over took her. Something else, like cold sweat, broke out across her temples at the impossibility of doing so.

"We'll be there as soon as possible," Jazz suddenly said, unable to keep the shake out of her voice. "If he's that unstable, then he's not gonna be able to use reasoning with the CGIA. That could lead him to compromise his identity and lash out in violence. Mom, don't let him do that."

"I'll try not to, sweetheart."

"I'll work on exactly what he has once I get there," Jazz added. "In the meantime, keep him on the low and try to hide all evidence of his location. I'll see you soon."

"Love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, Mom."

She hung up the phone, and Tucker stared at her, watching the lines of her body fall from love to worry. His fingertips hesitated over the keys of his laptop. "Everything okay?" he asked.

One look said it all.

"No," Jazz whispered. "Like Dan." Her hands trembled. "The stress of it is turning him into Dan."

She'd remembered her brother running to her, in tears, over the whole ordeal. He'd told her everything that Clockwork had wiped from the time stream's memory. She'd worked with him for weeks to settle his fears. Now the reality of that nightmare was paradoxically back in her life.

Tucker got up and helped her to a seat, a strange fear also in his eyes. His eyes were old, older than her own. "You know about Dan?" he asked.

"Yeah." Wild thoughts, horrible wonderings of what lied beyond the Fenton Portal sunk deep into her skin. Jazz felt sick. "Mom says Danny isn't acting right. Just like Dan." Tears bubbled in her eyes. "Tuck, what do you think they did to my brother? I-I mean, I was expecting him to show signs of mental trauma, but not to the extent of mental insanity, and -!" she hiccupped. "And I-!"

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "We'll be okay." Then, something of his old self came through. "You're training to be psychiatrist, remember? If anyone can help Danny, you can. And in plus, you _are _looking at Tucker Foley, techie extraordinaire. I'll get you to Danny so that we can work out the bugs in his system." He tried to smile, but it was weak. "He's _alive_, Jazz. There's hope. That's all that matters."

Jazz sniffled, but she couldn't hide her smile. "Techie Extraordinaire?" Her teal eyes locked with Tucker's. "Thank you," she added seriously. "For everything."

The boy, really more of a man, smiled brightly at her praise, and his handsome face softened. "Anytime, Jazz. Now let's go save your brother."

"Right," Jazz said as she gazed at his lap top, wiping the forming tears from her eyes. Now wasn't the time to get emotional. White lines and pulses in HTML and binary code flickered across the screen. She didn't understand any of it, but she knew it had something to do with her brother. "So what's the plan?"

"Get into the Ghost Zone, locate Danny, and protect him from the CGIA."

"And how do we get into the Ghost Zone?"

"I dunno," Tucker said, eyes narrowed in deep thought. "I could try and hack into the CGIA's electronics, but I could only freeload. If I tried to change anything, it'd set off an alarm that'd alert their main ship, and I don't think we can afford ticking them off when they've got enough weapons to send a whole convoy after us. We need a clean escape where there aren't any Guys in White."

"Great," the woman sighed. "Where are we gonna find that?"

"I dunno," Tucker replied. "But we gotta find one soon. Our window of time's closing fast."

"...I think I can help," a small voice from nowhere interjected.

Jazz and Tucker jumped, and before either could recover, a shadowy apparition materialized near the ceiling.

"Hey, guys," it said.

Jazz stared in consternation at the ghost before her, who looked like a female copy of her younger brother. The shock of it made her hyperventilate in the strangest way. Her mouth opened and closed, and her breath caught somewhere in the vicinity of her ribcage as her heart dropped into her feet. For once, she was at a loss for what to say.

What was that phrase about time stopping?

Tucker cut in for her. "Dani?" he said, teal eyes wide. "You're alive! Wha…What are you doing here?"

"You're going to go help Danny?" she whispered, wringing her hands nervously. The two nodded, and she added, "Good, 'cos I wanna go with you. If that's okay. I mean, I could probably help you out."

Jazz snapped out of her speechless stupor. "You," she whispered, "You're a-"

"-An exact copy of your brother?" Danielle helpfully supplied, weakly smiling. "Yeah, don't freak out, but I _am_ his clone, so it's kinda expected."

"C-clone?" Jazz repeated dumbly. Tucker grabbed her hand comfortingly and tried to make sense of the world for her.

"You know about Vlad Master's weird obsessions with Mrs. Fenton and Danny?" Tucker said slowly, and Jazz nodded. "Well, Dani was kind of his attempt to have the family he never could. She's Danny's copy."

The woman found herself staring at the clone of her brother, unable to look away. Features that she'd so desperately wished to see again were before her, and not before her. Growing up in a family full of crazy people, she'd prepared herself for just about anything.

But a full-grown female clone of her brother?

The younger girl's expression faltered in uncertainty, and her green eyes grew sad. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she voiced aloud. "I can leave if you want me to."

Jazz snapped out of it. "No, no!" she suddenly voiced. "Don't go yet. I'm just…I'm just having a little shock …Dani, was it?"

"Yeah," she said with a small smile, still a bit uncertain. "With an 'I.' You're Jazz, right? Danny's older sister?"

She nodded, still a bit in awe. "Yeah."

"Hi," the younger ghost tried to greet her. "I'm sorry I haven't stopped in to say hi before now, but I didn't want to upset anything. Just call me your cousin."

"My cousin," Jazz repeated. Somewhere in the back of her mind, her academic self was storing data for a research paper, detailing the effects of a cloned individual introduced to the progenitor's family. She had a hard time trying to fit the gender change in, though.

"I think it'd just be easier that way," Dani said. Her weak smile was full of shaky hope and need for acceptance. She'd always yearned for an older sister. "Don't you think?"

Jazz forced herself to take a deep breath. A female clone of her brother was certainly the latest in surprises, but nothing she couldn't handle. "Yes," she agreed with Danielle. "Makes sense." She smiled, a bit uncertainly. Then she realized how awesomely fantastic and insane the universe was, and her smile grew genuine. Coincidentally, Jazz had always wanted a younger sister. The irony that she would get one in the midst of potentially losing her younger brother was not lost upon her. "It's very nice to meet you, Dani. I'm sorry I didn't react very well. I've had a lot of surprises lately. I'm usually very good at being an understanding person."

"It's okay," she rubbed her neck awkwardly, much in the way Danny would from time to time. "I'm not exactly something people like to talk about."

The strange twinge in the girl's voice stuck in Jazz's mind, calling forth more words, like _low self-esteem _and _feelings of inadequacy_.

This clone was very, very human. And very, very much like Danny.

On impulse, she walked up and hugged the girl. "Well, we'll talk more when we have time," Jazz told her. "Welcome to the family, cuz."

The girl stiffened at the physical contact, but then she fiercely hugged Jazz back. "Thanks so much," she whispered. "You have no idea how much that means to me." Dani wanted to tell her how many hours she'd spent in agony alone, wishing for family. But time was short.

Jazz pulled away and ruffled Dani's hair in a sisterly way. "And I really appreciate you coming here. That's very brave."

"I've been hiding from the CGIA," she admitted in shame. "And I knew…I kept hearing about Danny, but I just…" She pressed her lips together in determination. "He saved my life, so I really wanna save his. And I'm not afraid anymore."

"Well," Jazz said, realizing the incredible luck of it all, "we could definitely use your help." With Dani, they now had reliable access to all sorts of information, ghost tricks, and evasion of law. "We just need to find a way to get into the Ghost Zone without alerting the CGIA."

"Fenton Portal's out then," Tucker supplied, clacking away on his old laptop. "Too many Guys in White down there to chance it."

"Are there any other portals nearby?" Jazz asked.

Danielle glanced bashfully down at the floor and shifted on her heels. "…I do know of another Ghost Portal. But Vlad's not gonna like us using it."

"Vlad?" Tucker asked. "You mean Vlad Masters?" Dani nodded, a little pale at the name.

Jazz snapped her fingers excitedly. "That's right! Vlad does have a Portal!" She turned to Dani. "You're a genius!"

The girl blushed under the attention, but she also glowed, because she was starved for it. "I don't know about that," she said modestly.

Hope bloomed in Jazz's eyes. She turned to Tucker. "Can you hack into Vlad's security system?"

He cracked his knuckles with a smirk. "Piece of cake."

She turned to Dani. "And you can operate the Portal?" Dani nodded. Jazz immediately began pacing, searching for hidden Fenton weapons around the house. "Maybe we really _can_ get there in time."

Dani hurriedly fell into step with Jazz. "In time for what?"

"In time for the CGIA," Jazz quickly explained. "If we get there before them, we might be able to negotiate a compromise. Or, or at least stall for time."

The younger woman swallowed hard. "How are you gonna make them see our side of it?" she asked. "From what I know, they don't compromise."

"No, they don't," Jazz said. "But we've got two options. Mom said she was with Valerie, and Valerie is the leading ghost hunter of the CGIA. If Valerie isn't fighting Danny, then she must be with us. She could play double agent and contest for sole responsibility of Phantom."

"Valerie Gray?" Dani felt like shivering in fear. "That lady's awesome, but she's scary too. I didn't think she'd ever stop hunting Danny."

"I didn't either," Jazz said, "but this could really be in our favor."

Dani hummed. "No kidding. So what's the second option, then?"

"Option two: Vlad Masters is the mayor," Jazz continued. "The CGIA answers to him. Considering we're gonna raid his mansion, we can copy his signature on some papers; say that Daniel Phantom is to be transported to Fentonworks for any further experimentation, under the jurisdiction of Jack and Madeline Fenton." She bit her lip. "Not a permanent fix, but we can work out something from there."

Dani felt nervous, but excited. "Both ideas sound good. Think they'll work?"

"I hope so," Jazz replied. "We're gonna have to hurry though." She glanced at both Dani and Tucker. "You guys ready?"

"Been ready for a long time," Tucker said, shutting his laptop and picking up his PDA.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Dani chimed in, green eyes lit with a weary but unshakable determination.

Now with a plan, the three made their move, and another piece of the chessboard began to align for the final showdown.

* * *

_Hey, everyone! I'm definitely in a rush, because I have to go to work in like 30 minutes. But I wanted to get this updated today. :) Thank you all so much for the reviews on last chapter; I tried really hard to not make you wait as long for this one! (Although my current obsession with Tangled made it a little difficult to type this). :P I'm sorry if it sounds rushed! _

_By the way, if you're ever wondering how I'm progressing with the next chapter, I usually update my profile every so often to say how many pages I've gotten done of a story, and what the projected update time will be. :)_

_Song Inspiration: The United States of Eurasia by Muse (Such a good song!)_

**1. Plot? Good or Bad?**

**2. Characters? Consistent or Inconsistent?**

**3. Overall feelings? Happy, sad, mad, intrigued?**

**4. Questions, comments, criticisms?**

**5. Anything I can improve on?**

_Thanks so much for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review! :)**


	24. Chapter 24

_Disclaimer: DP be disclaimed. _

_Thank you all so much for your reviews! I love you guys! I know a 'thanks' over the internet isn't really enough, so I worked really hard to get this story updated as soon as possible for you. Hope you like it! _

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 24**

* * *

Three hours and counting until the arrival of the CGIA.

Thirty seconds and counting until she faced her worst nightmare and greatest love.

Sam stood before the doors of Phantom's room, her hand over the controls for the powerful barrier containing him. In her other hand was an ecto-blaster. "Okay," she pep-talked herself. "I can do this."

…_Right? _

She punched in the code to unlock the barrier, and numerous safeguards and gadgets shifted. The door clicked with a foreboding noise.

…_Right. _

The woman steeled her nerves and prayed that she wasn't going to her death. Which, considering Valerie's experience, was a pretty big possibility.

_I can do this. I am in control of my destiny._

_And I will do whatever it takes to stop Danny from ruining his own. _

Walking into that black room felt like stepping into an entirely different universe. The barrier closed in over her, sealing the room back. Immediately, she felt his presence. It was cold and invasive, swirling about the room with a territorial air. There was a ten degree difference in temperature from the outside. "Danny?"

No answer.

She stepped forward. "Danny, are you here?"

From an invisible point near the ceiling, Phantom watched her every move. _I want to kill her, _his thoughts raged in wild lust and obsession as he stared at Sam. _I want to make her mine. Now. _His muscles quivered in adrenaline, like the predator waiting for his prey.

He, in his mind's eye, could see her pale skin glow like a ghost, her body covered in the tatters of a dress fit for a queen… her purple eyes glassed over in lust for him, and him alone. _So beautiful…_

Deep within, Danny desperately attempted to stop Phantom, but God, he wanted her so bad too, and he was too weak…

"Hello, Sam," came the smooth, deep echo of Phantom's voice, imperceptibly gnashed with obsessive desire and lust and love. She narrowed her purple eyes in the darkness. Nothing. Not even an outline of a shadow.

The disembodied voice was certainly a disturbing addition.

"Danny?" she called out. "If you're trying to scare me, it's not working."

"And yet you brought a weapon," he replied, darkly amused. The all-surrounding, panoramic effect of his intangibility made her uneasy. She glanced around the room in several places, searching for his exact location. "Oh, Sam, I think you _are_ afraid of me."

She raised a brow. "I am so _not _afraid of you, nor am I in the mood to play _games _with you." She put a hand on her hip, gripping her ecto-blaster tight in the other one.

He was right, though. She was afraid, underneath her thick skin and guarded, purple eyes.

"Games?" the ghost echoed. "You and I both know I don't play games. I play for keeps." The air warped about her waist-she gasped-and it pulled her deeper into the room. "And I want to keep you, Sam."

She grimaced as she tried to fight against the force. "Yeah, well I'm not a possession," she told him, voice huffy with exertion. "So you can stop treating me like one." It took all of her self-control to steady herself.

"Hnn. But you're my _obsession_," he retaliated, almost lovingly. The force of the wind whipped her hair from her face. The room lit up in a spiraling of green lights. "And you _will_ be mine."

Sam's eyes darted. She had an idea, and it was a very dangerous idea. But if it worked…She swallowed hard, knowing that she would willingly put herself in the actual hands of the man who would destroy her.

"But you're not Danny," she added coldly. "So I don't want to be yours."

He materialized near the ceiling and winced. "Ouch, Sammy." He touched his non-beating heart, raising an eyebrow. "That hit me, right here."

"You deserve it," she spat. "Give me back Danny."

"Sweetheart, I _am_ Danny."

Her lip curled. "I'm not your sweetheart, Phantom."

He hummed noncommittally. "You know you want me anyway."

She stared him down, eyes cold. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line.

"Or, I can just _make_ you want me," he added, warning her in amusement, "if you would rather go down that road again."

"And I can save you, if you'd let me," she said.

His brow angled with suspicion. "Save me? I bet," he whispered, voice snakelike, "that deep down, this has nothing to do with saving me. That you just walked into this room to test your will against mine. To stop me."

Suddenly, he was right in front of her, his body's lines blurring into time and space. "I bet you enjoy this," he whispered to her, as his clawed fingertips ran down her arms. Her wide, purple eyes stared into his as her breath hitched. His touch was cold and harsh. It hurt, skimming across her skin with pure ghost energy. "That you like the danger of it. That you like the challenge. The _darkness_. I know you, Sammy."

"No," she tried to argue, "you have no-"

And before she knew it, his brilliant, ruby eyes flashed with hypnotic power.

Interestingly enough, Sam lost the ability to move her legs. He turned her chin so that she couldn't look away. "I know the evil within your own heart…"

"Stop it," she tried to say, but her voice was soft and uncertain. Was that her voice?

Her mind became muddy and unclear, and she really had no idea what happened to her ecto-blaster. She couldn't move her arms. "I know," he whispered, "everything."

Suddenly, he kissed her, his claws tightening on her arms. Possessive love. On the last leg of logic, Sam instinctively struggled in his grasp, but his claws sunk into her skin, drawing blood. She gasped against his lips. He took the opportunity to deepen the kiss and forced his tongue into her mouth.

With a muffled cry, she struggled more desperately, and she pushed against his chest. No luck. His powerful grip was like steel, overpowering, all-invasive. The ecto-blaster clattered to the ground, slipping out of her frozen hand.

Horrible fear. _Oh God. _

Then, his touch felt electrical, and ghost energy pulsed deep to the core of her body. Beautiful, haunting red eyes tore through her every thought and emotion…

**Look at me, Sam. **

She couldn't resist.

She could feel him searching her for weaknesses, for a crack in the foundations of her psyche. Like a powerful wind, the essence of Phantom raged and whipped through her, and she staggered under his raw power.

Her eyes rolled up, and her entire consciousness altered. Her senses shifted.

Suddenly, she wasn't just in Phantom's hospital room. She wasn't in the Ghost Zone. She was in a far different place, far more malevolent. The feel of his arms, the taste of his harsh lips, and the sound of his true voice faded into background noise, and her reality darkened into a new one. Who she was, what she was…All these things morphed. She could feel herself falling deeper within, to the core of her very being, to her soul.

To the mental plane through which Phantom was truly attacking her.

But underneath Phantom's power, there was some form of desperation in his movements, both physically and mentally.

_Sam? Sam! Please, Sam! _whispered the tendrils of a fading mind against hers. It sounded like the Danny she knew. _Find me. I'm still in here!_

…_Danny? _she answered back, but the whispers were so small…so far away…

_Keep walking, Sam. Find me. I know you can do it!_

…_do it!_

…_do it! _And the echo died in farthest regions of the plane.

_Walk where? _She wanted to ask. There was nothing. No sound, no images, no air or ground to feel.

**Yes, Sam**, Phantom smirked against her lips, his voice like lightning within her mind. **Do it. **

**You want to, don't you? Why don't you come in? **

Things quickly took shape. Sight. Sense. She blinked wide, purple eyes. On the mental plane, she stood in. She wrapped her arms about herself, expecting to see Phantom, or to at least feel him.

Some very small part of her could feel her true, physical body operating without her.

_Where the hell am I? _she suddenly thought.

**You're in my mind, Sam**. Came the reply**. In my heart. You're right where I want you. **

A cold, entrancing void pressed against her mental barriers and her will. She found herself unwillingly forced towards it, losing herself in the inviting labyrinth of his mind. It felt like colors twisting in and around her, pushing her forward in their wind.

_The heart of what? _She asked helplessly. _Your heart doesn't beat_! He never answered her, so she tried again. She felt so ridiculously cold. _H-how are you doing this?_

**It seems as though the psychic connection we've always had can be tapped and enhanced. In here, you are immortal, Sammy, and you're tied to me, **came his slithering, loving whispers. It felt as though the strikes of his voice were trying to comfort her. **I can turn you into the perfect ghost from the inside out. **

**Please. I love you. I need you. Just…give in to me, Sam. **

**You can be with me forever. **Longing tinged his sorrowful voice. **You just have to say yes…**

Phantom poisoned her mind with pure ghost energy, attempting to permanently establish his control.

Here, in Phantom's mind, the fires of the CGIA still raged, and she was locked in the same beautiful hell as him. Fires were dancing, twisting into chains about her legs and arms…

It burned and chilled her, and her wide purple eyes desperately tried to focus on something, anything stable as the chains dragged her down, down…down… Her hair flipped up wildly, stinging her eyes as she cried out in surprise.

Then, the winds stopped. The universe shifted and transposed itself into clarity, and Sam gasped.

She had landed on the crumbling edge of a great and dark labyrinth, her chains falling away and slinking back into the void. Like an upside down Garden of Eden with the fires of an inferno sand-swept into an asylum, it was a cruel paradise. And yet it called to her like a bright red, undeniably delicious apple. Daniel was her Adam. She was his Eve. She stood up shakily, regaining her bearings.

And she couldn't resist taking just one more step to find him.

…_Danny? You still here? _

Once she stepped foot, Phantom grabbed her mind and locked her into his control. The echoing whispers of Daniel's consciousness beneath the tempest slipped through her fingers like sand, and power overwhelmed her. The labyrinth locked behind her, and its walls heightened.

Like Eve with the bitten apple in her hand, so Sam fell, deep under the control of dark seduction and obsession.

He tore through every memory, every thought, imprinting himself.

Stop. Real world.

"D-danny," she gasped against his lips, purple eyes glowing with the deepest green as her mind tumbled through the labyrinth of his.

Phantom's claws retracted, and he possessively gripped her bloody arms as she fell underneath his most powerful hypnosis. Her glowing eyes widened in a form of otherworldly wisdom. **Obey me**, his voice echoed in her mind.

_Okay. _

**Love me. **

_Okay. _

Soul broken down from the inside out, she truly wanted to obey and love him.

Her fingers weaved into his fiery, white hair, as if to anchor herself to him. Her lips mechanically responded to his kisses.

His scarred hands- bare, cold skin- sensually ran down her body in ways that left her gasping against him. He smirked as her purple eyes stared distantly into his with swirling confusion of lust. And Phantom triumphed, for Sam was no match for his power. She couldn't even pull her arms away from their home around the base of his neck, where the raised skin of a jagged scar disappeared underneath his suit.

And, in some twisted way, they were Danny and Sam once again, both lost within their desire for the other, both free of inhibition, searching for purpose and love.

"Do you feel that, Sam?" Phantom whispered darkly against her lips, stealing kisses again and again. His gloved fingertips stroked the soft skin of her neck, mirroring the placement of the ones on his own skin. "These scars are for you. I survived, _just_ for you. And you alone." Vicious torrents of sympathy and pity tore through her at his bidding. "Without my help, Danny would never have survived. We never would have seen you again. So _I _took it. I took all the pain and became it. And yet everyone hates me for being what I am. Don't you feel sorry for me?" he whispered to her, sweet nothings dripping from his lips like poison. "Won't you cry for me, Sam?"

Tears slipped down her face at his command. "Y-yes," she whispered shakily, her glassy, purple eyes locking with his.

"Love me, Sam," he pleaded with her. "Make me _real_. Be with me, so that I can feel more than the fire and chains that forged me."

Sam felt as though she was nothing without him.

Her plan-what plan, really?-had cracked at its seams and shattered into fluorescent hospital lights and strange, odd shimmers of something bright…

Her own ghostly fingertips suddenly moved out of time with her human body, and she witnessed the strange disparity of her soul shining brightly outside of her skin. In half-delirium, she realized he was sucking away her soul with his touch. Her heartbeat pulsed strangely, as if growing heavier and more tired. Her breath struggled within her lungs.

He was killing her slowly. And she couldn't fight it.

_**Be with me, Sam. Forever, **_he whispered gently,

_...Yes. _

Pulled down farther into his mind, she felt like she was drowning in the stifling darkness. So dark, so heavy, so void of anything but night, Sam drowned in Phantom's spell.

But it was there, in the heart of lust and passion itself, she found innocence. In the throes of death, she found life.

_Sam? _

A distant echo, suddenly closer, surprised. _You're still in here? _Then absolutely terrified.

_Sam! No! _Panic and desperation in the form of a familiar voice thundered through her spine. _What are-? Wait, you don't have to do this!_

_Danny_, some part of her recognized. Soft, blue light. He encompassed the fragments of her mind to protect them, storming across the vast ocean of Phantom's mental labyrinth and upsetting the darkness.

_Come on, Sam! Wake up! _His love and worry encompassed her soul as he desperately pushed back against Phantom's control. _Please! _

In real time, Phantom had Sam against the wall. Her real hands were slack at her side, and her body was slowly separating from her controlled soul. The moment her cold soul hands pressed against his chest, her soul pulsed uneasily. Touch, telepathy.

His two halves fought for her mind.

_Live for me, Sam!_

_**Die for me, Sam.**_

Images of a little ghost girl with green eyes, now human with blue eyes, flitted back and forth in her mind. Power or love. Worship or affection.

Tears slipped from her soul's eyes as she kissed the monster Danny had become. Her heartbeat was slowing down….she wanted to die…her breath was slowing down…

She wanted to feel Phantom's pain, to be a part of it…

Then the darkness changed.

The world within her mind, tilted by love and lust, genuine desire and forced obedience, flipped entirely as the soft blue light became flesh, and Daniel-the psychological essence of his true soul-cradled her. So light, so bright, his touch felt like the sun, and its warmth spilled into her cold veins. She was in the darkest corner of Phantom's labyrinth. She could feel Danny's strong arms, so real…

"Come on, Sam," he encouraged, holding her tightly. "Pull out of this, for the both of us." His scarred fingers ran through her hair in a last ditch attempt to comfort her. In real time, her soul still wavered, unable to completely part from her body. "Sam? Can you hear me?" Phantom's control lightened under Danny's interference, and she stirred in his arms. "Don't let him do this, Sam," he pressed on, blue eyes wide in panic and love. "Fight it! He's killing you!"

"He's…_s-saving _me," she gasped back, purple eyes lolling uneasily. Strange thoughts flittered in her mind. Phantom's control was…enticing. She wanted his salvation. His hellfire paradise was becoming more and more like heaven…

Daniel's mind raced.

"No, no, Sam," he scolded lovingly. He could not afford for her to fall to Phantom. "He's not saving you."

"Look." His strong, warm hand turned her cheek so that he could look at her and she him. "Remember me?" he asked desperately, managing a weak smile. "You know, Danny? The guy that's supposed to be running his own body but got the shaft again?"

_Please, see me, Sam…_

The universe within one's mind was filled with physics impossible to duplicate in the real world. Like the way Daniel was suspended in absolutely nothing but darkness and fire as he held Sam in his arms. Like the way his touch also flooded his emotions and thoughts into hers. Like the way she could see into the purity of _his_ mind and feel the chains of fire that Phantom had warped about his limbs.

She gasped, her purple eyes glowing with the whites of her soul, as her muddled mind slowly cleared away the poison. Here, Phantom couldn't corrupt her mind. In this place where Phantom had exiled the remnants of Danny, she couldn't be controlled.

But his power was so strong…

"He's not helping you, Sam," Danny said again, blue eyes worried as he stared into Sam's unfocused eyes. Phantom had torn deep into her mind. "God, he really did a number on you, didn't he?" He swallowed hard. "I've got an idea, but...we don't have much time." Then, he leaned over and gently set his forehead against hers, letting his thoughts flood with hers as he held her.

Memories long past stormed through the torn ruins of her mind, rebuilding what Phantom had destroyed.

* * *

_She narrowed her eyes as she peeked out from behind a tree. He was around somewhere. Her grip tightened on the water gun. One….Two…_

_Cold, ice water shot across her back, and she cried out, wheeling around. _

"_Gotcha!" he laughed before disappearing into the woods. Sam was momentarily stunned, but then a horrible smirk crossed her lips._

"_Yeah, you better run!" she called out after him, raising her weapon. "Cause you're gonna pay for that!" _

_By the end of the fight, she'd had him on his back in the mud they'd created with the sprinklers and water guns, wrestling like five-year olds. Mud splattered their clothes, their legs, their hair. Danny was quick, but Sam was quicker. Danny was strong, but Sam was smarter and had him easily pinned. _

_It took her five minutes to immobilize him. _

"_Admit defeat!" she declared gallantly, eyes narrowed playfully as she sat on top of the half-ghost, ramming her water gun into his throat. She skillfully held his strong body down with her legs. _

"_Okay, okay!" he wheezed, caught between a groan and a laugh. "Defeat!" _

_She pulled back in satisfaction but nevertheless remained sitting on his stomach. She didn't want her prey to escape punishment. "That'll teach you to never mess with a master." _

_He paused suddenly, raising an eyebrow. Indiscreetly, his arm reached out. "A master, huh?" With the last of his strength, he grimaced and clawed his hand into the mud, pulling up a goopy mess that he thrust into her face. _

_She jerked back, but it was too late. It splattered across her face and hair, and she gasped at the slime now traveling down her neck and back. Then, her wide purple eyes narrowed to angry slits. "Oh," she said. "You're gonna regret that." _

_He smiled cheekily, knowing the perfect way to get back on her good side. "God," he said, pushing back her muddy hair with his muddy hands, "you are beautiful when you threaten me, you know that, right?" And his hands locked behind her neck and pulled her into a kiss before she could push him away. The anger washed away from her face, and something, like love and desire, took its place. _

_The water gun was quickly forgotten for a much different form of entertainment. _

_Then next thing she knew, he flipped them both over, and she was sinking into the squishy mud beneath her as he laughed, and Sam was angry all over again. _

* * *

"_Sam!" a muffled voice. _

_Sam glanced each way before walking over to the janitor's closet. "Danny?" she called out hesitantly. _

"_Sam, please, let me out!" came his panicked voice. "I'm stuck!" _

_Confused, she opened up the door, and he stumbled out, grasping onto a locker door for dear life. _

"_What in the world were you doing in there?" she asked. _

"_Dash pushed me in," he explained, swallowing gulps of air in relief. _

_The woman still felt confused. "And you needed my help…why?" _

"'_Cause I couldn't get out!" he replied, wide eyed. _

_Then it hit her. _

"_Did you forget you have ghost powers?" she raised an amused eyebrow. _

_His face faulted. "Oh." Then a horribly red blush stormed across his face. _

_She patted his shoulder. "It's okay. I'll be here all day to remind you." _

* * *

"_Sam?" the door to her room opened. "Hey, you awake?" Blue eyes locked with hers, which were peeking out from a huge comforter that covered her up to her nose. _

_She felt embarrassed. "What are you doing here?" she asked, and her voice was raspy and nasal. Surely, he thought she was ugly and gross. "Shouldn't you be in class?" _

_He waved off her concern. "I never make it anyways," he said, setting down his backpack and walking up to her bedside. "I figured I might as well skip." _

"_Danny," she tried to push him away, "you're gonna get sick here." _

_She coughed and sniffled, trying to look as dead as possible, and he climbed into bed right beside her anyways. "You know how colds work," he told her. "The whole school gets infected sooner or later, and if I'm gonna get sick, I'd rather get sick from you than from anyone else." He kissed her fevered cheek and wrapped his arms about her shaking form to keep her warm. _

"_You sure?" _

"_Sure I'm sure," he replied easily. "No other place I'd rather be." _

"_T-thanks," she whispered, slowly realizing that Danny had accepted her, no matter what she looked like. His touch and care made her feel remarkably human, and she loved it. She loved him. _

_They spent the rest of the day watching Dr. Strangelove, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Ghostbusters. _

_And when Danny got sick a few days later, she skipped class to take care of him. _

* * *

There were so many things he could show her, and there were so many more that he did, all within the span of seconds. Each one was as precious as a gem stone, but each was only a facet of the puzzle that was their relationship.

Danny pulled back his hand from her temples, reining her back into Phantom's reality. "Sam?" he told her, gently away wiping the tears that had arisen in her eyes. She gasped with the emotional pull he'd transferred to her. "_This_ is love. This is real love. Small, funny memories and the knowledge that we both put each other before ourselves. Please, you gotta remember that." He swallowed hard. "Love isn't lust, and that's all Phantom can give you. Don't let him control you! I…_I _need you! _I _love you."

…_love? _

Her purple eyes, so confused with Phantom's fading whispers, shifted uneasily with the word.

"Yes, Sam," he smiled weakly, raising her cold hand against his face. "Love."

The last thread snapped. Sam felt the need for a hellfire paradise disappear. Her purple eyes were clear, clearer than they had ever been. "Danny?" she whispered, and Daniel sighed in great relief as the recognition and self-awareness re-sparked in her eyes. "Is…is that really you?"

She ran trembling fingers across his dark brow, in awe of his black hair and concerned, blue eyes. His face was haggard, as if he hadn't slept, and his jeans and old shirt were wrinkled. She hadn't seen him like this in years. He was _human. _

A beautiful, wonderful feeling bubbled inside of her. Her lips cracked open in a half-laugh, half-sob, and she reveled in the feel of his warmth. Something about Danny just felt…soft, in comparison to Phantom, who was as cold and steely as metal.

"Yep, I'm here," Danny said, smiling. Then he paused. "Sort of here. We're both in my mind right now. Sorry it's so messy."

She couldn't help but smile back. "It's okay," she replied. Her voice was hoarse. "It's about as messy as your room always was. I'm used to it."

The two were silent for sometime.

"Thank you," he whispered suddenly to her, setting his forehead against hers. No memories swirled between them this time, but it was nice to feel his warmth. "Thank you for finding me in here." His fingers dug into the material of her shirt, much in the same way Phantom did. But Danny was loving, protective, desperate to be closer simply for the sake of being close.

"No problem," she whispered.

A part of her wanted to stay there, stay that way forever and always. But she knew she had a job to do, and so did he. Even though she was stabilized here with Danny, she still felt unbalanced at her core. Her soul was still trying to separate from her real body.

She sat up, feeling disconcerted that she was sitting on nothing. "So can you tell me what's going on?" Sam held her head and grimaced. Being controlled by a powerful ghost made her dizzy.

"I think our real bodies are having one serious fake-out make-out," he grinned impishly, but then the smile fell. "Among other things. I can't really tell from here. Can't hear what Phantom's thinking either."

"Great," she breathed with a troubled sigh. She pulled her hand away from her head.

He stared at her in concern and lifted her chin. "You look really pale. I mean, more than usual. And you're kinda-" he squinted "-see-through."

_Probably because your other side is trying to steal my soul_, she answered mentally. But instead, she waved away his concern and said, "It just might be an effect from being…in wherever I am right now." She wrapped her arms about herself. "Is there any way to get back out?"

"I've been trying to, but I can't get us out alone." He bit his lip. "I've got another idea. And I really I hate to ask this, but…can you do something else for me?"

"Something else? I almost die getting here, and you ask for something _else_? You are so high maintenance," she complained lightly.

"I know, I know." His smile grew a bit wider. "One of us has to be, right?"

"I guess so," she said. "But only to an extent. After all this is over, if you start borrowing my old goth makeup and jewelry, we're gonna have a serious talk."

He playfully rolled his eyes. "I wasn't talking about _that_ high maintenance."

"Sure you weren't," she teased lightly. "Cause it's not like you aren't already in trouble for the flaming hair and 'evil-villain' eyeliner." A part of her realized it felt good to see him struggle between a laugh and a pout. Just like old times.

Except they were both stuck within a metaphysical dimension inside a psychotic ghost's mind. And Sam was slowly dying.

That kinda dampened things.

"Yeah, well, we can argue about that later. For now, give me some of your energy?" he pleaded. "You know, a little ATP pick-me up? I think I can break us out of here, but I'm too weak on my own."

"Think it'll work?"

"Maybe. I've noticed physics and logic don't really matter here."

She raised an eyebrow at him, and he gave her his best puppy-eye look. She sighed. "Fine, you talked me into it." She held out her hands, and he laced her fingers with his own. He squeezed their palms together, smiling that that heart-warming smile of his.

"I'll get us out of here, Sam. I promise."

Pulling on her strength, he glowed brightly, his blue irises nearly white with the sudden transfer. His black locks swirled in the invisible wind, and he was glowing so brightly now that the light leeched outwards and stormed through the expanse.

And suddenly, all the barriers and fires melted around them, and the darkness was lit. Sam felt strange, tired, like she was shooting through the stars of the universe…

Stop. Real time.

Phantom pushed her away, gasping, red eyes wide. "How dare you?"

Sam blinked, gasping as her soul slammed back into her body with the force of a freight train. She glanced wildly around the room to find it nearly dark, her shirt skewed and her body trembling. Phantom stood not but inches away, gaze both amazed and fearful of the woman before him.

Phantom stared at the enigma before him, wondering how in the world she'd managed to break his control from the inside out. Then, the red of his eyes faded into orange, then bled back into a deep and surprised green. "…Sam?" Danny whispered. Full knowledge of himself and of everything swirled in his eyes.

Little children with ghostly green eyes and Sam's hair floated in Danny's mind, then disappeared.

She smiled shakily at him as he pulled her into a tight embrace. "I knew you were still in there," she told him, half-confident and half-bluffing. Only the slightest shake of her hands proved how unsettled she was.

He said nothing for the longest time, his green eyes deep with a level of love and gratitude he'd never before felt for anything. He knew there was not much time.

Then half-spun, blurred memories crashed into his mind.

The innocence he maintained while locked away in the forgotten labyrinths of Phantom's mind suddenly bled away. He stared at Sam in absolute shock.

He knew what he'd done.

She'd nearly died. She'd nearly died, and she hadn't even told him. In Phantom's mind, she'd been pale and shaky because he'd nearly separated her into two dimensional halves.

"Oh God," he whispered suddenly, pulling away from her. He cupped the side of her face and narrowed his eyes in concern at her bruised lips and disheveled appearance. "Did I hurt you? Are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine." But his gaze caught the red, bleeding marks down her arms, her torn and open shirt collar, and pain crossed his features. His thumb ran across her bruised lips, where Phantom had stolen away her love and replaced it with cold passion. He caught her hands and checked to make sure only solid human ones reacted against his, and that her soul stayed where it belonged.

Blurry images of Sam pressed against his own body... His hand ran down her neck and pulled away in terror. "I just," he suddenly realized. "I could've-"

The horror of what he'd done to her raced through his mind. All of her thoughts, her memories, her hopes had been copied into his mind. Phantom, at the barest essence, had raped her mind, broken down its barriers, and tore into her most private of thoughts without consideration of her. He knew everything about her.

And she knew it.

"Danny-" she caught his arm and forced him to look at her. "I have nothing to hide from you. I knew walking in here, that something was going to happen. I was prepared to take that risk."

"But Sam," he whispered, "what if I'd _physically_-?"

She shook her head. "But you didn't." She ran her fingers through his thick, white locks and tried to smile. "And in plus, it goes both ways."

Images of a little ghost girl with green eyes floated about in her own mind too, along with ruined cities and tattered purple dresses.

For all of his corrupt thinking, Sam realized, Phantom was an idealist. He wanted a family, a safe place to raise his family, and the best for his family. Sam's lips quirked in amusement. He was just _way_ off on how to show it.

Danny quickly pulled her back into a hug, his powerful arms encompassing her and cradling her in a way that Phantom never could duplicate. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to calm down to the rhythm of the breath Danny unwittingly inhaled and exhaled, even though they both knew he didn't need it. This was _Danny_. This was the man she loved. This was the true Phantom, whom she loved also.

"Thank you," he whispered to her, voice nearly breaking. He'd nearly killed her. She'd willingly put her life on the line to bring him back. "You shouldn't have done that."

"I had to," she replied easily, her voice muffled into his jumpsuit.

"But…"

"-It's okay, Danny."

Even with her acceptance, horrible guilt swallowed him. He knew-no, he had stolen-her dreams, her hopes, her fears. He even knew of her secret, inner desire for two children with blue eyes.

_Ha ha, _Phantom laughed inside. _What would she think of two children with __**green **__eyes instead? _

_Shut up, _Danny replied mentally, worried. Already, Phantom was regaining his bearings…He didn't have much longer. He stroked Sam's soft, black hair with his gloved hand, reveling in the way her body fit against his and yet also feeling guilty, because he didn't deserve her love.

"You never know when to give up, do you?" he whispered in her ear.

"Nope," she replied proudly, eyes closed. "And you're damn lucky that I don't."

Pulling away, she looked him over once more. Satisfied that he was okay, she realized it was time to get down to business.

"Speaking of which," she told him very seriously, turning his attention back to her, "We can't just stop here. I need you to listen to me. Mrs. Fenton and Valerie picked up a signal. The CGIA is coming, and we need to hide you."

The humming noise of their presence sounded like a drum in his mind. His senses and powers were going crazy. "I know they're coming," he told her. "I was starting to feel it when you came in."

"Does Phantom know?"

He turned green eyes to her. "Yeah, but…" Something in his expression twitched uneasily, and even though he tried to hide it with a weak smile, Sam wasn't convinced. "I don't understand. Why should I hide?" he asked her.

This didn't bode well, and she knew it.

"Because," she replied hesitantly, "we can't allow you to fight. Not like this." She placed her hand on the side of his face. "Danny, this is for your own good."

Her heart tore as she watched the love of her life slowly lose the struggle against the evil inside of him, and his green eyes lightened and darkened into a strange orange. "What do you mean, I can't fight?"

"Look, you-"

"-No!" he suddenly interjected, both Danny/Phantom together as one in voice. Danny looked at her and silently asked, _But how can I protect you? _Phantom looked at her and silently demanded, _I need my revenge! _

He broke away from her to hold his head, baring his teeth as he fought to maintain sanity. "I have to fight, Sam!" Danny told her raggedly. "_You_ don't understand!"

Suddenly, his flickering eyes widened in clarity, and Danny knew his time was ending. Phantom's twisted frown marred his features.

"No, no, Danny, stay with me!" Sam pleaded with him. She touched his shoulder. "Come on, please!"

"No!" Danny snarled, rounding so close that the chilling warmth of his body sent goose bumps across her skin. He kissed her, desperately. "I have to protect you," he said in between kisses, even as he struggled against Phantom. His gloved hands pulled her protectively to him. He couldn't lose her. The CGIA could hurt her…_would_ hurt her, make her bleed and cry as they had done to him…

Tears ran down her face. She couldn't pull away from him.

She felt it_, felt _it, the moment Phantom fully took over. His fingers knotted tighter in her hair, his kisses turned violently passionate, and the hum of his power rang in her ears. She could barely break away to breathe.

"No," Phantom whispered to her in a possessive growl. "I will fight. I have to, Sam."

Sam held onto him, quickly hiding her face in the insignia of his jumpsuit. He was cold, colder than Danny. His arms were like a steel cage around her. She felt unsafe, so incredibly unsafe in his arms.

Plan B.

She swallowed hard, gasping.

"Then I'm so sorry, Phantom," she whispered against his chest. She embraced him tighter to pull her arms closer together. "I'm sorry I have to do this."

He tilted his chin and raised an eyebrow. "Do what, exactly?"

"This." Her hand found the button. Suddenly, an electronic whine from Sam's wrist bracelet blasted sonic power into Phantom's back, and he stumbled into her with a muffled cry. With all of her strength, she turned them both sideways towards a metallic depression in the wall. Then, she twisted out of his grasp with a quick pivot, pushing a button on the control panel.

She turned back around to witness the damage she'd done.

Daniel's green eyes widened as pain overwhelmed him. "W-wha-?" he doubled over in surprise and agony. But it was too late, for his foot was already within the cyro-case, which whined as it charged.

A metal band quickly activated and snapped over his ankle, pulling him back with strong, anti-ecto forces.

His spine slammed into the back of the case, and lights revved, outlining the entire casement. Before he could react, similar bands stretched over his legs and arms, pinning him in place.

He inhaled sharply and glared with red eyes he tried to struggle, confused and angry.

She squeezed her eyes closed.

An inhuman snarl echoed loudly as the metal bands tightened. His red eyes darkened to a near black.

"Stop!" Phantom demanded in rage, burning in fury against her. He tried to hypnotize her to obey, but she avoided his gazes. "Why are you doing this?" he cried out angrily. With all the power in the world, he was powerless against her, and normally it would amuse him. It didn't this time.

As the automatic metal bands cinched into permanent lockdown, he stared at her in shock. "Sorry, Danny," Sam whispered. "But right now, you're not yourself."

"You…!" Phantom turned his face in anguish. "You're betraying me! _Why_?" He thrashed against the containment device in a reoccurring terror of his new chains.

"Because," she told him without pause, "I _can't_ let you fight."

His face, in absolute possessive love, twisted in betrayal. "You hate me," he snarled at her. "You deny me! I want to destroy the CGIA, and you do _this_ to me!"

"Danny, if you go out there, you will destroy _yourself_," Sam stressed to him, purple eyes hardening as her heart broke. "I know the human part of you is still in there somewhere, and if you use your power like this, then that side's gonna disappear!"

"Maybe I _want_ Danny to disappear!" Phantom retaliated. "You love him more than me! I try to protect him, and you don't even care! You just want to see him again!" He tried to pull his arms against the metal bands, but they held him without fail. He snarled, gnashing his teeth in rage.

Frustrated tears bubbled in her eyes. "I love you both!" she told him, voice ragged with emotion. "Both the Fenton and the Phantom! But this isn't you, Danny!"

He bared his teeth, even as tears of anger and betrayal slipped down his face. How could his own obsession turn against him?

But even as he struggled and thrashed against his constraints, she tentatively walked forward.

"Listen to me," she tried to calm him, keeping her shaking voice steady. He continued to seethe, and his red eyes were narrowed in dead silence. "I love you. We're partners, in more ways than one. You look out for me, and I look out for you. That's how it's always been. That's how it is right now."

His jaw set stubbornly.

"If you love me, then why," Phantom whispered, his hateful expression faltering into one of sorrow, "won't you let me _protect_ you? Save you from what they did to me? Make you invincible to that?"

"Because I've got to protect _you_ from doing something you'll regret forever," she replied back. She was within inches of the cyro-case. Reaching out, her fingertips shakily stroked Phantom's face and wiped away his angry tears. His red gaze widened in surprise at her willing touch. It felt even better than when he forced her touch and kisses. "I love you, and I'm not letting go. I won't allow you to do this."

His obsession's touch controlled him almost as much as he could control her.

"It's okay," she told him, trying to keep her shaky voice steady. "It's okay."

At her words, Phantom calmed. The reds of his eyes softened into orange, and then to a deep, beautiful emerald green that was so hollow and afraid it told tales of the horror of his mind.

Sam's own eyes widened at the sudden transformation back. "…Danny?" she whispered. "W-wha-?"

His ragged, torn voice interrupted. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered back.

That he was so unstable sent chills down her spine that she fought not to show.

"We're partners, Danny," she told him again, voice breaking as she smiled. Tears ran down her gently brushing through his wild locks "I'm not leaving you. You just gotta trust me."

"I…I don't think I'm human anymore," he admitted.

"It's alright," she said. "We'll get that side back soon."

The love in her gaze, the conviction of her voice gave him the slightest hope that everything would be alright.

But he was afraid, so afraid. Danny knew, somewhere within him, that this would be his last chance to spend time with Sam. And every second was so precious that he felt each one tick by with absolute joy and dread. He would choose her any day over getting revenge. She could take on the CGIA and win. Phantom just didn't understand…

He was drinking in his last vision of Sam, his last strand of sanity, his last reminder that he was ultimately human...

For the longest time, neither said anything. Sam continued to stroke the side of his face, knowing it would likely be the last time she'd get the chance to. In the bonds of the cyro-case, he could hardly move, yet he still managed to nuzzle his face into her touch.

His green gaze was so intense, she swallowed hard against it. Full knowledge of himself, of her, of what would happen swam in those eyes. "I need you to remember me," he told her. "Because I can't win this."

Her heart pulled at the words she already knew were truth. But she understood his charge, and she nodded.

"Now throw the switch," he choked back his own fear, "before I turn back."

She kissed him first, and he kissed her, and it was something short and desperate. _Him_. Sam kissed him again to know, deeper this time. This was _Danny_.

And soon, it wouldn't be.

Even in those few short seconds, his breath shuddered unevenly, and his eyes rolled as Phantom attempted to take control again.

Sam looked away as she pulled down the lever. Immediately, ectoplasmic ice spread out across the glass encasement, carefully sealing Danny, and his ghost signature, inside.

A heavy, tiredness stole away her strength. It was done. Phantom was sealed, and he would be carefully hidden away from the CGIA.

Glancing back at him, she stared, frozen at the sight of him.

He looked like a peaceful statue, eyes closed in blissful ignorance. His head was tilted to the side, his strong muscles relaxed, and he leaned against the encasement itself as it regulated the cyro-stasis temperatures. His locks of white hair glowed in the blue lights, and Sam thought he looked like an angel.

The calm before the storm.

She hated to walk away, but she did it. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done. "I'm gonna help you, Danny," she whispered brokenly to him. "I'm gonna get you back, no matter what."

* * *

Sam collapsed against the wall outside of the barrier, purple eyes blurry with tears. Her shaking hands held onto the wall for dear life, eventually onto the floor as she slid down to it. Dammit, she wasn't invincible.

_He nearly killed me._

She sobbed in a wild confusion of emotion, and suddenly Maddie was there, wrapping her in a mother's hug, something she'd never really received from her other mother growing up.

Shock. There was that word again. Sam stared at her shaking fingertips, waiting for bright white-her soul-to move in discord with them. Strange and blurry visions of living wires that stripped away her skin and tore deep into her muscles made her cry out.

She could see it. The CGIA, that God-forsaken cage…

Tears of pain...

What had he done to her?

"D-do you," Sam asked, fighting back her hitches and sobs, "think he'll be okay?"

"With you protecting him, I know he will be," Maddie replied in that way only mothers can, rubbing her back in comforting circles.

Valerie stood over them both, "My sensors are picking up zero active ectoplasmic readout." She released a sigh of relief she hadn't known she was holding. "Looks like you did it, Manson. He's sealed nice and tight."

The emotional wreck that Sam was proved how difficult it'd been, though. For the longest time afterwards, Sam refused to tell either one what had really happened, and both wondered what Phantom had done to her.

Sam figured it would be best if no one ever knew. Especially if they were searching for a reason to believe that Danny's ghost side was ultimately good, because she knew, deep down, he wasn't. He was too tormented to ever be the hero again.

She hugged herself, still unable to shake the terrifying shadow of his body against hers.

Two hours until the CGIA would arrive.

* * *

_So, I swear I didn't do drugs before I wrote this. :P As I was writing it, I originally planned for this scene to be simple, with Sam undergoing minimal stress and easily tricking Phantom into the cyro-case. You know, that way I could get back to the main plot with the CGIA. Then, I watched Inception, Matrix, and the Fountain, and all the added detail about Sam's crazy journey into the mind of Phantom just began to write itself, and I started playing around with words… So, yeah…I really hope it wasn't too confusing; I tried to openly differentiate between true reality and the mental plane, but that was kinda hard. Can't say I've ever written anything like this before. When I went back and reread it, I was a little disturbed that this came out of my mind, but then I was a little excited too. Is being excited about absolute insanity a bad thing?_

_I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I would really appreciate some feedback on this and all the weird things I did with it, :P. Also, thank you all so much for the awesome reviews from last chapter! Whenever I have Writer's Block, or a bad day, I go back and read the reviews for this story, and it really makes me want to write more and learn how to write better! _

_Song Inspiration: The Humbling River by Puscifer. Awesome, awesome song._

_Chapter Updated: Friday, June 10th at 6:00 PM. _

**1. What did you like most about this chapter? What did you like least?**

**2. Characters? **

**3. Plot? Good or bad? **

**4. Word flow/sentence structure/grammar? **

**5. Comments/questions/suggestions?**

_Thank you all so much for reading, _

_Lightning Streak_

**Please Review! **


	25. Chapter 25

_Disclaimer: If I could own DP, I would. But sadly, I don't have that kind of money. Or lawyers. _

_Happy 2012, everyone!_

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 25**

* * *

Danielle stared uncertainly at the vast lands and mansion before them. "Well," she said nervously, "here we are. Vlad Master's property." She let go of their hands, and Tucker and Jazz materialized onto the human plane, their feet softly crinkling the grass. "He's got a ghost shield around everything and human security measures lining his house." Soft rings of light encircled her waist. She stared at them helplessly, her blue, humans eyes wide. "Sorry guys, but I can't fly us through without setting off an alarm."

Tucker analyzed one of the high-tech DALV security posts, which were situated every twelve feet along the property's perimeter. "I think this is where I come in," Tucker said, pulling out his laptop from his shoulder bag. "I haven't worked with Dalv Tech in a while, but if I can disarm the ghost shield without triggering a security breach, then I think you'll be able to transform again and fly us through the human security."

Jazz lowered her binoculars. "Perfect timing too," she said. "Doesn't look like anyone's home. All the lights are off, and Vlad's limo isn't parked outside the front."

Tucker's eyes narrowed as he held the laptop and entered in a long digit code. Immediately, firewalls and "access denied" screens popped up. "Looks like he's upgraded his software. I can't get past the security with the binary of 'Madeline Masters' anymore. It's recognizing my laptop as a foreign computer." He paused in thought. "I need manual access."

Danielle peeked over Tucker's shoulder to stare at the screen. "But how can you get that access if we can't actually get inside?"

He turned and gently shoved the laptop into Dani's hands. "I'll have to trick the system into thinking we are the remote computer." He cracked his knuckles and dug into his shoulder bag, haphazardly pulling out a small drill, a clamp, and wires. "Now stand back, ladies, because I'm about to be awesome."

Dani shot an uncertain look at Jazz, who simply shrugged in return. She turned back to Tucker. "Are you sure you won't set off anything?"

"Positive. Now watch and learn from a master." Tucker kneeled beside DALV Post Thirty-Four, and he lined the drill bit directly underneath the power box and computer screen. Then, gently, he drilled into the inch-thick metal. With a sufficient hole made, he pulled the drill out and began wrapping the wires from his bag around the clamp. "The big wire in there is the one that completes the circuit back to the computer inside Vlad's security room. If I can physically hook my computer to it, then it won't know the difference between me and Vlad's computer. It's kinda like," Tucker paused in thought, "splitting a router."

Jazz frowned. "Don't you think Vlad would've secured his property from a physical hacker?"

"He's a mad scientist with too much money," Tucker shrugged. "I'm a hacker who gets paid to set up systems like this. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."

He returned to the job at hand and carefully strung the wires through the drilled hole. With his free hand, he grabbed his PDA from his pocket and hooked it on the LCD screen of the post. He pushed a few buttons and calibrated the PDA to the system. Within seconds, Tucker was greeted with the sight of the post's metallic insides. With the help of the visual, he pushed the wires upward, and the clamp locked onto the hardwired main line.

In Dani's hands, the laptop screen fizzled into a "Welcome to DALV security" mainframe.

"Hey," Danielle said, eyes bright, "that's pretty cool."

Tucker smirked and stood up, dusting off his pants. "Yep," he said triumphantly, "I'm just that good. Now we've got complete access to every system here, including the ghost shield. I'll take my laptop back now."

Dani handed him back the laptop and helped Jazz pick up all the drill bits and extra wires, knowing time was short.

With a couple of clicks and commands from the computer, a great sigh overcame all the posts, and the invisible ghost shield powered down, along with numerous other security measures. "Okay, Dani: give it a shot," Tucker said, looking over his laptop screen and encouraging her forward.

A little hesitant, Danielle transformed and floated past the posts. No alarms. No lights. When nothing at all happened, a bright smile lit her pale face. "Awesome!" She grabbed hold of Tucker and Jazz and turned them intangible, flying over the acres. Tucker, eyes wide, barely managed to grab his shoulder bag in time. "Maybe this'll work after all!"

Jazz felt herself grow nauseated by the speed at which her surroundings passed, but she tried to smile to heighten Danielle's enthusiasm.

And undetected, the three snuck into the mansion through the second story. Danielle slowed her pace, on alert for any butlers or servants. "Hope no one's here."

But as time passed, they realized the entire building was truly empty. As they flew through the rooms into the maze of corridors, Tucker shuddered. "Damn, this place gives me the creeps. Like, hospital creeps."

"Like you would know," Danielle scoffed. "Try being created here, and _then _we'll talk about creepy."

"Oh, I don't think it's too creepy yet. Just football propaganda and décor that suggests a superiority complex," Jazz surveyed. "Vlad hasn't changed a bit. Which means his lab should still be in the basement, right?"

Danielle took the hint and dropped them down to first floor, then below ground level. "Yep." Smooth metal machines and arsenals glinted darkly in the shadows. Cold.

It felt cold.

The half-ghost hid a shiver and steeled herself to the sight of her birthplace and near final resting spot. "Yeah, it really hasn't changed."

"_Hello, pet." Vlad's soft voice swept over her in cold love. His gloved hand stroked her wild white hair. "Can you hear my voice?" _

_She gazed up at his face and searched her instincts. Who was this man? "F-father?" _

_He smiled brightly. His fangs glinted in the ethereal glow of his power. "Yes. And you're my darling daughter. My precious heir." _

Danielle shook herself out of it and pulled Tucker and Jazz out of intangibility. "Okay guys, tell me what we're doing. How can I help?"

"We need to hack into Vlad's security on the portal, for one," Tucker said, sitting down in the command chair at the main controls and staring at the buttons.

"You don't have to do that," Danielle reminded him. "I got your back on this." She leaned over Tucker's shoulder and typed in a small numeral sequence, which unlatched the metal doors.

But her fingers froze when her green eyes caught the sight of a flat platform to her right. She swallowed hard and turned away from what Vlad had strapped her to years ago, blinking hard. She backed away from the console, allowing Tucker to take over. She had to get away from that spot. "Blue one. The blue button opens the portal when we're good to go."

"_No, I plan to melt you down and study your ectoplasmic remains!"_

_Horror and betrayal trailed tears down her face. She struggled against her bonds. "But…but don't you love me?" _

_Her father, no, Vlad, laughed cruelly. "Love? How could I possibly love a failure like you? You disgust me!"_

"Are we ready yet?" Danielle said, hiding the nervous shake in her voice. "This place is getting to me."

"Not quite." Jazz pulled an ecto-blaster from the arsenal, staring at it in curiosity. "We need as many weapons as we can get." She threw it to Danielle. "Here, you might want one too."

The younger girl held the weapon uncertainly, for the most imperceptible tremble in her hands shook the blaster. "Look, I know we need weapons, but I really don't think we should be taking these. When Vlad gets back, he's gonna know someone was in here. And he might come after us."

"We're already gonna be in trouble when he finds out his portal's been opened," Jazz reasoned. "So what if we take some weapons too? We've got bigger problems than a disgruntled billionaire with a crush on my mom."

"With ghost powers?" Danielle stressed, skeptical. "And who started the CGIA in the first place?"

"We'll worry about it later," Jazz said firmly. "Right now getting to Danny is our objective."

"We can always blackmail Vlad with the fact that he named his computer and his cat Maddie," Tucker piped up, still looking at his PDA. "How's it coming along, Jazz?"

"Almost done," the woman replied, gathering a few more weapons from the armory and stuffing them into Tucker's shoulder bag. When nothing else could possible fit into the compartments, she stood up and pushed her fiery bangs out of her eyes, stuffing the strays underneath her bright blue headband. "Okay. I think we're good with weapons."

Tucker looked down at the control panel. "Uh, which button was it, Dani?"

"The blue one."

"Right." He pushed one final button on the control screen, and Vlad's portal hummed to life, gears retracting the heavy metal doors back. The green glow wisped throughout the entire lab. The temperature dropped a considerable amount of degrees.

Tucker pulled out his PDA. "Okay guys, got this calibrated to track the CGIA so we don't run into them and trigger their instruments." He turned to Danielle. "But you wouldn't be able to just…_teleport _us to Danny's location, would you?"

She shook her head. "I can only do small distances. But I can fly a lot faster."

Tucker nodded, and his eyes softened for a minute. Although Danielle had lived on her own for years, she'd never been pushed to her limits. "You gonna be okay at top speed for a while, then?"

The younger girl gave him a hard look. "Better believe it. Clocked out at 190 for six hours straight."

"190?" The techo-geek raised both his eyebrows, duly impressed. "Damn, that's faster than Danny. How do you manage that?"

She tried to smile. "I dunno…" She shrugged. "He's got strength, and I've got speed."

"From the coordinates and your speed then, we should arrive at Danny's location in about fifteen minutes." Tucker glanced down at his PDA. Then he looked back at Danielle. "…Seriously? 190?"

The half-ghost raised a brow. A spark of mischievousness animated her pale features. "What, you don't believe me?"

"Alright, guys." Jazz holstered her own ecto-blaster and hardened her eyes. "I'm ready. Operation: SD is a go!"

"…SD?" Tucker echoed dryly.

"'Save Danny?'" Jazz replied matter-of-factly. "What'd you think I meant?"

"I dunno, it's just…you couldn't think of anything better? SD sounds like Scooby Doo."

Jazz rolled her eyes. "_SDP_, then? Save Danny Phantom?"

Tucker gave it thought. "Still not great, but better." He paused. "Better than naming a dog Ghostey, anyway."

"Oh, will you give that a rest?"

Danielle sighed and grabbed the two. "Come on, guys. We gotta get to Danny!"

And the three, sufficiently armed for battle, disappeared into the swirling energy of the Portal with a sonic boom, Danielle's power core glowing brightly at the strain. She tightened her grip around the two humans' wrists and catapulted them through the Zone.

The strange air of the Ghost Zone felt like smooth silk against the travelers-far better flying conditions than the human world. Tucker and Jazz breathed easy, even at Danielle's top speed.

Doors and structures blurred by.

"Okay, I'm syncing our flight path to the coordinates of Danny's location, and-wait," Tucker paused, teal eyes narrowing in concern. On his PDA, the strength of Danny's output frequencies suddenly froze and diminished. "Guys, we got a problem. I'm losing my lock on Danny."

Danielle's eyes widened. "What? Why?" She instinctively pushed herself harder to fly faster. "He's not in trouble, is he?"

"No. Cryo-stasis," Jazz cut in, remembering the call with her mother. "They must've put him in cryo-stasis by now. That _would _seal his ecto-signature from us."

Tucker gave her a weird look. Then it hit him. "Right. Danny turning into Dan." He swallowed hard. "So it's really happening, huh?"

"I'm afraid it is," Jazz replied, eyes worried. "The only good news is maybe the CGIA will have a harder time tracing Danny's location."

Danielle turned her neck, confused. "…So wait, who's 'Dan?'" she asked.

No one answered her.

Tucker looked down at his PDA again. "Uh, hey, so it also looks like the Guys in White are about 20 clicks away right now. We need to veer left to stay under their radar."

"How fast are they going?" Jazz asked.

"About seventy-five miles an hour. We're gonna make it there way before them."

Danielle huffed. "…Guys, seriously. Who's _Dan_?"

* * *

Vlad stepped out of his limo and knew immediately something was wrong. His dark blue eyes narrowed. "Someone's been here." He turned to the driver. "Go ahead and park this in storage." He added, "And take the rest of the day off."

The chauffeur nodded and tipped his hat before rolling up his black window. The limo revved into drive and disappeared down the long pathway to the parking garage.

Vlad dusted off the sleeves of his business jacket and walked to his doorstep. The biometric scans immediately recognized the gait and weight of his walk, and they triggered the door to unlock.

"Welcome back, Mr. Masters," the house said. "DALV security measures disabled in your absence."

He narrowed his eyes. "Which ones?"

"All measures pertaining to perimeter ghost shield and inner ghost portal."

Vlad's eyebrows furrowed. "Not what I was expecting. House, give me an I.D. on the individual who disabled my security."

"Negative. No data available."

He raised a regal brow. "Huh. Then perhaps my lab will better debrief me."

The billionaire glanced around then transformed, sinking through floors to find himself in the heart of his lab. As suspected. The Ghost Portal was opened.

Sharp gears turned in his mind, and his red eyes swiveled to the large console by the Portal. "Why would someone disarm my house only to break into the Ghost Zone?" he mused. "Surely this was no ordinary thief." He turned to the console. "Maddie," he called out, "roll security disk 307, between times 2:00 and 5:00 PM. Reinitiate all security measures."

"Yes, sweetums," called the computer's chipper voice. "Reinitiating DALV security systems to one-hundred percent. Formatting security disk 307 for viewing purposes." One wall of the lab sparked to life with four large LCD monitors. The recording fizzled and then cleared into a colored screen, echoing the layout of the lab, empty and untouched.

"Fast-forward to any recorded instances of someone inside my lab."

"Okay, my love!"

The computer sped through hours of taping. Then, dark shadows appeared on the screen, and the computer played the clip.

"Maddie, pause. Magnify."

As he stared at the shadows of Danielle, Tucker, and Jazz sneaking through his lab, a cold frown pulled at his lips. "Well, well, what have we here?" His claws tapped against the console. "My disowned mutant and her two little friends?"

He stared at their lips, eyes narrowed. The lack of audio on the recording left their rushed dialogue to Vlad's imagination. But the name 'Danny Phantom' repeated itself one too many times to be coincidental. "What's going on?" Vlad wondered darkly.

_Unless_…

"Maddie, open up the Danny Phantom files and secure data regarding his ectoplasmic signature. Sweep all sectors of the Ghost Zone for his signature."

"Sweetheart, my data processors suggest such an action to be illogical, as extinguished ghosts do not possess ecto-signatures."

"Maybe Danny isn't as…incapacitated as we believed," Vlad said. "Now run the sweep."

"As you wish, darling." The computer hummed with the strain of the work, whirling thousands of terabytes of information per second.

"Ectoplasmic signature currently unavailable. Last known location for Danny Phantom's ectoplasmic signature resides in sector 271 of Ghost Zone, as mapped out by you, dear heart."

Vlad's gaze darkened in cold surprise. "The dimensional rift? That's certainly not the CGIA base, now, is it?"

"Of course not, my deliciously intelligent conqueror."

* * *

Valerie stared at the computer. "We've got movement about ten clicks away. Too small to be CGIA of any kind. Maybe two, three people?" Her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm also getting a large ectoplasmic signature coming from one of them?"

"Ghost or human?" Maddie questioned.

"Could be either one," Valerie replied. Her face twisted. "Or both."

Maddie hummed, tapping a pen against her leg. "How fast are they traveling?"

"Pretty fast; about 200 miles an hour."

The older woman bit the inside of her cheek in thought. "Let's intercept them, see who they are first. They may be ghosts trying to escape the Zone before the CGIA arrives, in which case maybe we can convince them to stay here and help us." She moved to stand, but Valerie stopped her.

"No, Mrs. Fenton. You stay here. You're needed to man the computer and keep me updated on the Guys in White." Valerie stood up. "I'll take care of this myself."

* * *

"Man, what gives? We haven't seen anyone for miles. This place is more abandoned than a ghost town," Tucker commented as they ventured deeper into the heart of the Zone. A smirk lit his tired features. "Get it, 'ghost' town?"

"I dunno what's going on," Danielle replied, eyes shifting uneasily. "But I can feel the CGIA. They're sending out something now…like a wave. It feels like me or Danny's power, but different. Metallic."

"How far away?"

"Far. The feeling's pretty faint." Danielle hid a shiver. "But it's kinda freaky. And I don't like it."

Tucker looked down at his PDA. "Well, maybe we can change that soon. We're here. This is where the tracker locked on Danny."

Up ahead, the fabric of the Ghost Zone twisted and warped behind a large smoke screen of fog. No doors existed around the strange wave-barrier. "In that?" Danielle questioned. "That warp thing?"

"Hey, Mom said something about a dimensional rift," Jazz remembered. She gazed ahead at the otherworldly portal. "I…guess this is it?"

Tucker looked a little green. "Man, why do I get the feeling it's gonna be a bumpy ride? Why can't dimensional rifts just be a door or something?"

Danielle inhaled a deep breath. "Well, no time to float and find out. Here goes nothing!" And she tightened her grip as they flew towards it.

Suddenly, the portal expanded and wrapped around them, throwing them into a tunnel of currents and colors. Tucker and Jazz shut their eyes as the entire world around them shook them down into another.

And in a matter of seconds, they dropped onto hard rock, in the shadow of a great building.

For a few seconds, no one said anything. Then Tucker groaned. "_Damn_," he grabbed onto the ground beneath him and pushed himself up. "I think I just made a Tucker-shaped pancake. In what? Concrete?"

Danielle pulled herself out of a crater, holding her head. "Well, that wasn't so bad. Gotta work on that landing, though," she said weakly. "Everyone okay?"

"Yeah, I think so." Jazz rubbed her elbow and moaned when she tried to sit up. "Just a crick."

Tucker stood up and grabbed his bag and fallen PDA. He readjusted his glasses. "Hey, guys, check it out. The Specter Speeder." Behind him, Jazz and Danielle stood up.

The Specter Speeder sat in one of the other craters, looking a little worse for wear. "Looks like we're in the right place then," Jazz added.

The three gazed at the strange dimension around them, at the gigantic building before them, and at the warping stairs on each side.

Then it hit Tucker.

"…Aw, shit." He backed away. "Oh, guys, it's a hospital. A freakin' _hospital_! I hate hospitals!" He swallowed hard. "Oh man, oh man…"

Jazz pushed him forward. "It's not a hospital," she said. "It's an ice cream parlor."

"Yeah, right," Tucker scoffed, eyes wide. "Like I'm gonna believe that."

"…A modeling agency, then?" Jazz supplied dryly. "How bout that?"

Tucker squeezed his eyes shut. "With Victoria's Secret models?"

"Sure, Tuck. Whatever makes you feel safe."

"Well, you know that doesn't make me feel safe, just better." He paused in thought. "I don't even know if I'd go in for models."

"How about for Danny?" Jazz said. "You know, your best friend who needs your help because he's been a prisoner for two years?"

Tucker winced. "Oh man, that hurts deep." He stared up at the hospital. "For Danny?"

"Yeah. For Danny."

Movement out of the main entrance into the hospital caught their attention. " Uh, guys, we're not alone!" Danielle warned. Gathering herself, she stepped before Tucker and Jazz to protect them, palms sparking with energy. "Stay behind me!"

But what surprised them even more was who came to greet them. Curves in red appeared from the shadows one-hundred yards away, holding an ecto-blaster.

Tucker squinted. "Valerie?"

The closer she got, Valerie re-holstered her weapon, almost in shock. "Jazz? Tucker? What are you doing here?" Her sharp eyes turned to Danielle. "And who's that?"

Danielle nervously smiled, trying to hold back from running away. The Red Hunter terrified her. "Uh, hi?" she swallowed hard. She laughed off the ectoplasm charging in her palms. The sparks died in the air. "Oh man. Thought you were someone trying to kill us."

"We're here to help, Val," Tucker cut in worriedly. "We saw the CGIA mobilizing back in Amity Park, and we figured you guys could use us."

Valerie crossed her arms. "Why does she look like Phantom?" she demanded, not even paying attention to Tucker.

"I'm a clone," Danielle said honestly, trying to hide her nervousness with a weak smile. "Danny is my progenitor."

Valerie blinked. "Clone?" She paused. "A half-human clone?"

"…Uh, yes?"

"But you're a girl." Valerie was always one for tact. "And you only look a couple years younger than _me_. You can't be a clone of Danny."

"My aging process was accelerated in the beginning, but now I age like everyone else," Danielle supplied. Her green eyes shifted with self-uncertainty. "And me being a girl was a fluke."

The Red Hunter tilted her head, staring at the younger girl in strict curiosity. "Did the CGIA do this?"

"Oh, I'm not from the CGIA," the girl corrected hesitantly. "Vlad Mas-uh, Plasmius cloned me from Danny."

"You mean that creepy vampire ghost?" Valerie made a face. "Figures." Then, her face softened, but her gruff voice echoed, "You got a name?"

"Yeah: Danielle. Or Dani with an 'i.'"

Valerie's mind raced with possibilities. "Can you fight like the real Danny, then?"

Danielle's face reddened. "Well, not exactly. But we do share a lot of the same powers."

"Look," Tucker cut in hesitantly, "as much as I love reunions and mingling, we're wasting time. We gotta saddle this place down right, and the CGIA is about to bang on our doorstep." He turned to Valerie. "This place got a security room?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll take you guys back. Mrs. Fenton and Sam are already there."

"Sam?" Tucker repeated. "Our Sam?"

"What other Sam is there besides Manson?" Valerie replied, sarcastic.

Relief washed over Tucker. "Great. Jazz said something about Sam putting Danny in cyro-stasis. She doing okay?"

"Yep," Valerie said shortly. "She's fine. See for yourself."

* * *

Tucker's eyes lit up as he walked into the large control room. "Sam?" he called out.

She glanced up from a computer. Her tired gaze filled with bright recognition. "Tucker? Oh my God, Tucker!"

He ran to her and picked her up into a tight bear hug, the two best friends reveling in the presence of the other.

"Mom!" Jazz gasped in happiness and came running into the room.

"Jazz?" Maddie's voice hitched in relief.

Jazz threw her arms around her. The mother and daughter embraced tightly. "Oh, my darling," Maddie whispered. "I'm so glad you made it safe."

"How's Danny?" Jazz whispered, leaning against Maddie's strong shoulder.

The mother inhaled a shaky breath. She leaned her head against Jazz's. "He's in stasis, honey."

Valerie stood off to the side, watching the old best friends and Jazz and Maddie. She felt like an outsider. A part of her even steamed in jealousy.

She'd never had deep relationships with her old friends. She'd never had a mother.

But when she looked over at Danielle, she noticed the same longing expression on the ghost's face.

Jazz pulled away from Maddie. "Are _you_ doing okay?"

"I don't know, Jazz." The mother tried to smile, but it wore thin on her stressed face. "I'll feel a lot better when Danny's safe and sound." Her purple eyes gazed over at Danielle, who stood awkwardly at the entrance beside Valerie, and she started in surprise at the sight.

"Oh my goodness," Maddie breathed.

* * *

Tucker adjusted his glasses as he sat down at the mainframe. "Okay, so we've got two hours before the CGIA gets here, ten weapons, and six people on our side. Great." He swallowed hard. "We're really gonna win, guys."

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Valerie demanded. "It's not like we have a lot of options right now."

"What _is _the plan, anyway?" Jazz cut in gently. "I mean, do we even have one?"

Valerie turned to Jazz. "I'm gonna confront the CGIA. Tell 'em that Danny Phantom is my responsibility as Mayor Masters' head ghost hunter. That should put me ahead of the whole operation."

Jazz frowned. "And so the whole CGIA's just gonna agree to that and let you have him?"

"No. I'll have to go back to Amity Park with the CGIA, with Danny. But I can protect him."

"That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking: will the CGIA _agree _with you? Do they still see you as the leader?" Jazz pressed. "Mom said something about your idea earlier. But if they've got a new leader, it might not work."

Valerie didn't answer.

"Are you the leader, Valerie?"

"I was. I still am," she eventually replied.

Jazz gave her an odd look, unsatisfied. "Yeah, maybe we should think of a couple back up ideas. Just in case."

"I agree with Jazz on this one," Maddie added, purple eyes heavy. "We've come this far, and we can't fail now for lack of planning." Her hands wrung themselves. "My baby's life is on the line here."

Valerie huffed. "Guys, I told you. I got this. We don't need another plan, because this one's gonna work. And what's another option, anyway? Fight 'em straight on?"

"Well," Jazz supplied, trying to be helpful, "we could forge some documents from Mayor Masters and-"

"-The Guys in White stopped listening to Mayor Masters a long time ago," Valerie cut in. Some of her haunting memories came back, of Danny's broken body slung against cages. "Masters told them to simply hold Phantom captive, but look what they did to him instead."

The idea died in Jazz's throat, and she bit her lip.

Valerie continued. "Masters never visited the complex, never talked to 'em in person…and a lot of things happened because of that." She paused and shook herself out of the past. "So they're only gonna listen to another human being they know. Someone who's right there that they can't just shove in a file folder, alright?"

"Well, I don't know about you guys," Sam said, her purple eyes dark as she crossed her arms, "but I didn't just about get killed to turn Danny back over to the CGIA." She leveled gazes with Valerie. "Something doesn't sound right about that. And even if your plan _did _work… what happens after it?"

"What do you mean, 'what happens?'" Valerie raised a brow.

"Say they let you take Danny back to base," Sam said. "Say they put you back over the whole operation. The _agency_ still exists. The people who nearly killed him would still be free to try it again, and I know you wouldn't be able to clear Danny's name from their hit lists. Even if you managed to free Danny, they'd never let him go." Sam's eyes narrowed. "And dammit, Valerie, you've seen what they did to him. You've _seen_ it."

The Red Hunter swallowed. "Yeah. I have."

Sam stepped forward. "Pretty sickening, huh?" Her hands shook. Her sleeves could not hide the bandages where Phantom's claws had torn her skin, and everyone could see the rough patchwork done to the collar of her shirt. "And you've seen what Danny's like now."

Valerie's confidence faltered. "So? I can still-"

Sam laughed bitterly. "-So it's a hopeless idea! Don't you see that? If the Guys in White take one look at him now, they're gonna believe that he really is a monster! They'll never give you total jurisdiction over him." Her voice hitched. "And they'll destroy whatever's left of the Danny we know, providing Danny doesn't kill them first."

The Red Hunter fell silent and then sighed, backing down. "Look, as much as you _think_ I'm a bitch, I'm trying help, okay? And I care about Danny too, so don't act like I can't." She pursed her lips. "You got any ideas better than mine, Manson?"

Sam fell silent. Her purple eyes faltered. "No." A part of her cracked open enough for all to see the turmoil within her. "I don't."

"Then what do you _want_ us to do?" Valerie said. "Because we can't just walk out there without a plan!"

As the tension escalated, Tucker stared at the computer before him in deep thought. "Uh, hey, anyone know what's the signal reach on these computers?"

Jazz took the opportunity to cut in before Valerie or Sam could snap at each other "Signal reach?"

"Yeah. I dunno about you guys, but _I_ have an idea." He messed with his PDA, forcing it back on a wireless setting. "Every hospital usually has some sort of wireless frequency line through which EMTs can send and receive messages. Most hospitals I know have frequencies that reach the boundaries of their service area." He looked up at Maddie. "You know anything about this hospital, Mrs. F?"

"It caters to the entire Zone," Maddie supplied, wishing she had more to say. "I suppose it's one of their strongholds."

Tucker bit his lip in thought. "So that means, maxed out, the frequencies must be able to reach everywhere." A sneaky smile twitched his lips up. "Oh baby, this is gonna be good."

Sam was the first to back him up. "And so what's your plan?"

"Gonna send out a distress signal over the whole Zone," Tucker said excitedly. "I mean, can you feel the tension? Ghosts aren't gonna be able to say 'no.'" He turned to Danielle. "Dani, you know what I'm talking about. You said it yourself earlier: you can _feel_ the CGIA here. These ghosts know something's about to go down. I'm willing to bet a lot of them would want in on a fight with the CGIA. And I wanna let them know we need the back up."

"But," Maddie said hesitantly, "wouldn't that bring in all the ghosts who hated Danny?"

"Yeah," Tucker said. "But you and I both know they hate the CGIA more." He entered in the distress code. All the computers synced together, wires humming with one unified cause, waiting for Tucker's signal to unleash the final command.

"So, _more_ ghosts." Valerie crossed her arms. "Great."

Sam shot her a dark look. "Shut it, Valerie. Tucker's got a point. If we have to face the Guys in White in a battle, we're gonna need the help." She turned back to Tucker. "I say go for it."

Tucker glanced around at the room. "Everyone else? Yes?"

The nods from all in the room solidified it. Eventually, even the grudging Valerie relented. "Fine. Whatever." Tucker turned back to the computer keyboard and pressed 'enter.'

On the outside of the hospital, multiple satellite-like devices pulled out from the roof and hummed with the command from the control room.

The distress signal echoed deep into the farthest reaches of the ghost dimension, bouncing off cliffs and mountains and floating doors. The hum shook the foundations of the cemeteries, singing a stressful chord that rang through the unending abyss like a dog whistle.

Slowly, the entire Zone shifted to answer the call.

One hour and forty minutes left.

* * *

**A/N**: _Holy cow, this story's a monstrosity. It keeps expanding in ways I didn't originally plan it to. It's like it's alive. Or something. O_o_

_So here's chapter 25! Almost a filler, but not quite. The rest before the fight, the calm before the storm…We're nearing the beginning of the end, everyone! I've made it one of my goals to actually finish this story this year, considering it's nearing a six year lifespan. A lofty goal for me, I know, but I'm willing to try it. _

_If anyone's got any ideas for the story, I'd love to hear 'em. :) _

_Song Inspiration: Middle Class Rut- "Busy Being Born (Prime Remix)" and Vanilla Ice- "Ice Ice Baby." Yeah. _

_Chapter updated: Friday, January 6__th__, 2012 at 5:00 P.M. _

**1. What did you like most about this chapter? What did you like least?**

**2. Characters? **

**3. Plot? Good or bad? **

**4. Word flow/sentence structure/grammar? **

**5. Comments/questions/suggestions?**

_Thanks so much for reading, Lightning Streak_

_Please remember to review! :)_


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: No own DP! _

_Hey, everybody! Sorry this is so late. Thanks for reading and reviewing while I was gone the past semester!_

**_Also, for the record, this story is pretty much canon up until season three, "D-stabilized." I had a few people ask, so I thought you might wanna know._**

* * *

_A very short, jagged clip of happenings in previous chapters__: Evil-Danny is sealed by Sam using the hospital's cyro-stasis tanks, although at a high cost to her, both physically and mentally. The CGIA is sweeping through the Ghost Zone to the hidden dimension to take back Danny. Danielle, Jazz, and Tucker arrive on scene by way of Vlad's portal to warn Valerie, Sam, and Maddie of the CGIA's movements. Vlad discovers that someone used his portal, and he also discovers Danny's location. And the humans send a distress signal throughout the Ghost Zone to get other ghosts on their side to help them fight against the CGIA._

* * *

**Chained**

**Chapter 26**

* * *

"Sir, I'm picking up some unusual movement on our radar," the agent reported. He turned the computer monitor around for his superior. "Looks like a massive wave of unidentified ectoplasmic signatures."

Agent O stared at the screen, watching the multiple dots move closer to a central location. "Interesting," he hummed. "They aren't moving out of the Zone. Rather, they're moving deep into it."

"I've also picked up some sort of signal originating from that sector in the Ghost Zone. Not sure what it means, but it must be the reason why so many ghosts are relocating."

Agent O raised a brow at his subordinate. "Do you know what this means, T?"

"Uh, no, sir." He paused. "At least, not for certain, sir. It could be a couple things. Another portal to our world may have opened, and all the ghosts are escaping through that. It could also be a potential military grouping."

"Place your bets on the military, son. The first option is far too logical for such illogical creatures. No, these ghosts know we're here, and they're moving to take us out." He turned to his navigator. "B, how much longer until we reach our destination?"

"Well, it's hard to say, sir." Agent B readjusted his headphones and clacked away on the mainframe console. "Since we lost our lock on Phantom's ectoplasmic signature, I've had to retrace the source. I discovered we were off a couple degrees in our trajectory. Providing that Phantom has not changed locations, I'd say we have a full hour before we reach coordinates, sir."

Agent O frowned. "What sort of operation are we running, B? A day care? A nursing home? The lack of precision is not appreciated."

"Yes, sir," B tried to smile. "I know, but navigating the Ghost Zone is a little different than driving a truck down 1-94."

"Just follow the influx of ghosts," Agent O said coldly. "It's obvious that Phantom's presence has upset them. Where they go, Phantom is bound to be."

"But sir," Agent T interrupted, hesitant, "if the ghosts are really planning some sort of military strike, would we be possibly flying into a trap with all those ghosts?"

Agent O smiled. "Of course they're trying to lay a trap. But we have the advantage. Anything they throw at us will be thrown back by Phantom's own power." He turned away and walked onto the bridge. Pushing a button, he stood before the front display of the ship as it retracted back. The glow of the Ghost Zone seeped through the thick windows, bathing him in an otherworldly light. "Tell you what, T. Up our speed to 100. The sooner we arrive, the faster we can disable their pathetic attempts at a rescue mission."

"Sir, this convoy is only cleared at speeds below 100 due to the explosive energy of the generators."

"Fine. Take her to ninety-nine."

"But sir, that defeats the purpose of-"

"−You heard me. I don't care. Ninety-nine, T."

"Yes, sir. Judging from the location of Phantoms' last ecto-signature and the centralized location of the ghost activity, we should arrive at coordinates in the hour."

"Perfect." The cold and cruel gaze on Agent O's face twisted with dark desire for battle and challenge. "Let's get suited up for our dinner date, shall we?" He motioned to another subordinate, who nodded and picked up the intercom. "All field agents on Convoy One, prepare for combat and go to your designated officers for further instructions. All aerial pilots, meet at dock one to be assigned a plane. ETA currently stands at one hour."

* * *

Valerie stood outside the hospital entrance, apprehensive. "How many we got so far?" she asked Tucker.

The man glanced down at his PDA. "About thirty have signed in. Including Skulker and Ember, thirty-two."

"That's not enough, Tuck." Her eyes were trained on the cyclonic spin of the dimensional rift in the sky. "Dammit, if we have the face the Guys in White in straight combat, we're gonna get our heads handed to us."

"It's a start," he said optimistically. "And more are pouring in. Check this out." The rift spun and opened, and out materialized many ghosts Valerie had never seen before. "I mean, _I_ don't even know some of these guys."

She bit her lip. "Still not enough, Tucker. I've seen what the CGIA can do, and I know what kinda weapons they have." Valerie paced before him uneasily. "We don't have much longer." She touched her headset. "Mrs. Fenton, what's our time?"

"About an hour, Valerie," the mother's stressed voice poured through the headset. "Looks like they're moving faster."

"That's not enough time to put an army together," Valerie repeated, anxiety roughing her voice. She pinched the bridge of her nose as thousands of fears twisted in her stomach. "Dammit, we don't even have an army. We have a scout club."

She could imagine the CGIA coming, slaughtering all, and stealing the sealed Danny Phantom like a nice, pre-wrapped package. Then they'd come after her, if she was still alive, and-!

"-We'll make it work, Valerie," Tucker said, cutting into her thoughts. He re-clicked his pen as he waved the ghosts over to sign in. "We have to make it work."

* * *

As the hospital filled with more and more ghosts, both ghosts and humans became uneasy around each other, wondering who would take charge. The massive influx of ghosts had begun to ebb, and time was ticking away.

Inside, Valerie stood by the receptionist's desk, Tucker by her side. Her teal eyes watched the movements of the ghosts, many of whom were restless and silent.

"Is this it, Tuck?"

"Looks like it."

The hunter narrowed her eyes. "It's not gonna be enough. There's maybe what? Fifty ghosts here? And the CGIA, last time I counted, had at least 300 active-duty operatives. That's not including reserves from around the country."

"Then we better make sure we've got the advantage in some other way." Tucker's eyes flickered over the room. "For starters, we need to know where we stand with the ghosts. I bet they're wanting to know the same thing."

"Now?" Valerie asked Tucker, a little apprehensive.

Tucker gave her a supportive clap on the shoulder. "Yeah, probably. You can do this, Val."

She took a deep breath. "Okay, well, here goes nothing." And she swung herself up to stand on the receptionist's desk. Here, she could see the entirety of the main lobby and all the faces of the ghosts. She cleared her throat. "Attention, everybody!" The ghosts turned around to face her, silent as death. Valerie felt a little unnerved at being surrounded by so many of whom she would once have considered enemies. "We have some questions for you, and we need to outline a basic chain of command. Who here will act as a representative for you?"

In the small silence, Skulker stepped forward. "I will speak on behalf of the ghosts," he said, his metal lips twisted into a sneer from a scar left by the CGIA. His right optic was still cracked, although the sheen of his metal body was bright. "As much as some of us don't care for the Ghost Child, we are more than willing to repay the CGIA for all it has done."

Behind him, Ember shouldered her guitar, a new strength raging in her eyes. "We all wanna rip those guys a new one."

"Trust me, I know the feeling," Valerie said. "But why aren't more ghosts here? Didn't the whole Zone get the distress signal?"

Skulker stared at the ghost hunter with a curious look. "Many here in the Ghost Zone do not wish to intervene," he said. "They believe once the CGIA gets the Ghost Child, they'll leave. But we know better." His mouth set into a grim line. "We know they'll come back to destroy us later if we do not destroy them now. Although how the infamous Red Hunter came to be on our side is a question we would all like answered."

Valerie pressed her lips together. "I saw what they did to Phantom," she admitted honestly. "I saw the experiments. Then when the CGIA headquarters burnt down, he saved my life and helped me realize how much of an idiot I'd been. Now I've got a debt to repay, and I've promised to protect him from them."

"But how do we know you're not a spy? Someone to betray us to the CGIA in the middle of battle?" Skulker demanded, unconvinced by her motives. The other ghosts nodded and murmured their agreement with Skulker.

"Because I want the CGIA to go down as much as you do. I can't prove that to you until they get here. You're just…" Valerie shrugged, "gonna have to trust me on this one."

Skulker stared at her hard, searching her gaze. Then, slowly, he said, "You show no signs of deceit. Very well. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. If it is to our mutual advantage, then I will forge this alliance with you." He paused. "How do propose we take down the CGIA?"

It was a good question. "The fact is, we have less than an hour before the CGIA hits this dimension," Valerie declared, raising her voice so that all in the lobby could hear her better. Above the chaos, she felt powerful. "Because I understand them and have insider-knowledge on their tactics, I will take charge of the resistance, unless anyone here wants to fight me for the position."

She surveyed the room. No one said anything. The infamous prowess of the Red Hunter was apparently widespread; most of them had felt her sting at one point or another. Good

Valerie continued. "That settled, we need organization. I may know the CGIA's games and how to bring them to down, but if we don't work together as a team, we'll all be crushed. They've got generators and weapons powered by energy they took from Danny Phantom. We're up against serious firepower."

The woman stared at her troops, mind racing. Then, her training sunk in. "Dani," she called out. The girl looked up. "I know the hospital's built-in barrier won't be strong enough to handle heavy fire, so I need you to put a barrier up when I give the signal, ok? It'll be your job to protect this place."

The young girl saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"

Then Valerie turned to Maddie, Sam, Jazz, and Tucker. "We need someone to monitor the CGIA's movements. Maddie, I want you ahead of communications back here, and Tucker, I want you to hack into CGIA controls to shut 'em down in any way you can. I also want you to modify the hospital barrier so, combined with Dani's, it'll let us back in if we need cover. Can you do all that?"

"There's nothing I can't do," Tucker cracked his knuckles. "Just give me the word."

"Right." Valerie resisted temptation to roll her eyes. "Sam, Jazz: can you move all the hospital employees and their patients where they'll be safe and out of the way?"

Jazz nodded, but Sam stepped forward. "I can fight, Valerie. I don't have be in here the whole time."

"You're still reeling from earlier," Valerie scoffed, looking Sam straight in the eye. "Like hell you should be on front lines."

Sam's purple eyes hardened. "Valerie, I can handle-"

"-You've already done enough, Manson." For once, Valerie's gaze softened. "Come on, don't fight me on this. You and I both know Danny doesn't want you getting killed over this."

Sam set her jaw stubbornly. "We've all got vendettas against the CGIA for different reasons. You can't take that away from me, and neither can Danny. I _want_ to fight."

"_We'll_ fight for him now," Valerie said. "You fought for him before."

Sam looked down at her sleeves still puffy with the bandages under them, knowing the truth of the matter deep down. She repeated, "But I want to fight for Danny. For everything the CGIA put him through," Sam said forcefully. "When I tried to seal him, he showed me some of his memories, and I… I can't just let that go."

"I'm not asking you to let it go, Sam," Valerie replied, teal eyes hard. "People like us, we don't let go of things. I know that. I'm just asking you to hold onto it for later." The two women stared at each other, as if searching for understanding. "I need you to hold onto it."

Maddie stepped up and set a gentle hand on Sam's shoulder. "Valerie has a point, Sam. We both know your capabilities, and we're proud of you for what you've done, but you're already injured. You wouldn't be able to last under a physical strain." The mother gave her a soft look. "And we can't take the risk of losing you."

Sam swallowed hard. Then, silently, she backed down and gave an imperceptible nod to Valerie.

Valerie gave Sam a curious look, feeling a strange sense of accountability overwhelm her. "Look, Sam: the hospital has its own defense systems, right? I know it's not much, but I bet you could work with Tucker to get those lasers on the perimeter trained at the CGIA."

A grim smile pulled at her lips. "That's more my language," Sam said. "Still not the best, but I'll do it if it'll help you guys out there."

Valerie nodded tersely. She looked down at the clipboard and squinted her eyes to read Tucker's scrawled writing. "Okay," she announced to the main lobby, "so who here's had previous battle experience? As in orchestrated military strikes?"

A few raised their hands, among them Skulker, Frostbite, the Fright Knight, and Walker.

The hunter looked at the wave of generally unassuming mischief-makers and suppressed the rising feeling of dread. Most of these ghosts weren't military material. "Great," Valerie said, a little sarcastic. "I can see this is gonna be a little more difficult than I thought."

"Tell you what, Val," Tucker said, pulling himself up on the desk and gently taking the clipboard from her. "I know these guys pretty well. Let me divide 'em up, if that'd help you."

She gave it thought and handed it over to the man. "Sure. But put the ones with experience in charge of the others. And have them meet up with me back here, okay?"

"Will do." Tucker looked at the ghosts he once considered enemies. "Okay, Valerie needs the four who raise their hands to meet up with her personally for further instructions!" He then readjusted his glasses. "Everyone else, listen up! For better organization, we need to team up. So in Skulker's team, I need these people: Ember, Pandora, Johnny and Shadow, Kitty, Spectra, Undergrowth and Vortex. In Frostbite's: Dora, Aragon, Amorpho, Wulf, Sydney Poin-" Tucker stopped. "Seriously? Poindexter's here?" He didn't remember seeing him sign up.

Deep in the crowd, the small ghost furrowed his eyebrows. "What? Can't I help against the bullies?"

Tucker stared at him for a second. _That guy's not gonna last_. Then he continued. "Okay, so Poindexter, Desiree, Lunch Lady…"

* * *

Skulker, Frostbite, Fright Knight, and Walker floated over to Valerie, who stood with her arms crossed. "What is it you desire from us, young one?" Frostbite interceded.

The silence between the five stretched a bit−each one sizing up the other−before Valerie admitted, "I need eyes on the field and people I can trust to carry out orders. If you're the only ones who've taken part in organized battle, I need you to keep the others together when we have to change up our game."

Valerie realized she'd used the word _people_. These ghosts were people.

And they were _her_ people now, more so than the CGIA ever was.

The four ghosts mulled over her proposition.

"I think the human's logic is sound," the Fright Knight spoke first. "We need military order and communication to move as one on the battlefield."

Skulker crossed his arms. "And how do you suppose we stay in communication with each other?" he asked.

"With these." Valerie held out five ear pieces. "Snagged these from the control room. Their range is good for the whole dimension, and I've synced them up to my suit's own frequency."

Frostbite looked at the small earpiece in the large expanse of his paw and then said tentatively, "I fear, my friend, that while I agree with your strategy, this may not be a feat easily overcome by one such as I." He tried to laugh at his predicament.

Sam, who stood not too far away, stepped forward. "Lemme help you, Frostbite. Maybe we can tape it to your ear." The yeti gave her a grateful look.

"A resourceful solution, young one."

Skulker looked at his ear piece and scoffed. "I already have my own communication systems. Just give me a frequency."

Valerie glanced down at the small controls on her arm. "My frequency is at point six-eight."

The Fright Knight walked forward and crossed his arms, staring down at the human female. "You strike me as a frail commander, human, but you have a sharp spirit! Perhaps this alliance shall be rewarding after all." He jammed the earpiece into the grooves of his metal helmet. "Very well, my Mistress. I will follow your orders."

Valerie gave him a weird look.

"He's a knight," Skulker supplied helpfully, rolling his eyes. "He calls all of his superiors 'master.'"

"Ookay, then," the Red Hunter slowly replied. "Still weird." The Fright Knight paid no attention as he unsheathed his sword, studying the shining metal for imperfections.

Nearby, Walker hummed, turning the earpiece in his large hands. "This here earpiece is human contraband. That's against the rules."

Valerie raised a brow. "So is a massive genocide, which is what's gonna happen if we don't stop the CGIA. Now I know you and me probably will never get along, but I need to know I can rely on you for this."

Walker narrowed his eyes. "Hmm. When you put it that way, I suppose I can overlook this misdemeanor." He put the ear piece in and held his hand out in a truce. "For now." Valerie shook it with a strong grip.

"For now," she repeated.

* * *

Despite the initial hype, an uneasy silence fell over the hospital as Maddie alerted them of the CGIA's imminent arrival.

Everyone began to fall into position. Maddie, Tucker, and Sam settled down in the control room with Maddie before the main security computers, Tucker before the mainframe and his laptop, and Sam before the defense systems. Dani tensely stood off to the side, biting her lip, exercising her fingers as small barriers sparked around her hands. The fifty-odd ghosts crammed themselves against the inside wall of the hospital, silent as death.

As the dimensional rift twisted and widened, a great, shining ship forced its way through, humming with a power that unsettled even the most stoic of ghosts. Valerie stood behind the main doorways, a blaster charged to shoot.

"Okay, everybody. Keep steady." Valerie's teal eyes narrowed, concentrated as she watched the ship through the small door window. "Don't move from your positions until I say so."

She felt the adrenaline rush rage more powerfully with every rising beat of her heart. "I'm gonna walk out there first and try to negotiate a ceasefire. If they refuse to turn back, wait for my signal. Skulker, you'll lead the front. Frostbite, Fright Knight, I need you to fan your teams out and surround the convoy. Walker, your team will stay back by the hospital and guard it and any injured ghosts in case the Guys in White get too close. Above all, we cannot let the CGIA get to Danny. Got it?"

All nodded.

"Any other commands, my liege?" the Knight asked.

Valerie considered. "Yeah. If negotiating doesn't work and we have to fight, I want you to smash the CGIA." She felt righteous anger against those who had not only deceived her but also tormented her friend. "It's the least they deserve."

Skulker raised a cracked optic, shifting in his hiding spot as his arm retracted into a sharp machete. "So glad we see eye to eye, little Hunter. I've been waiting a long time for this day."

In that moment, Valerie understood the gravity of all that depended on the day's turnouts. Skulker's machete was real, everyone's hatred was real, and so was the death to come. Lives, including her own, hung in the balance. "Just wait for my signal, okay?"

"We will. Be careful, young one," Frostbite advised gently.

Valerie looked at the yeti with a curious look, wondering why the ghost even cared. "I'll try." Taking a deep breath, the young commander moved forward, her visor and helmet coming down to protect her face.

For a second, Valerie forgot her own age and tricked herself into thinking she'd fought and orchestrated battles all her life. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay. I got this."

Stealthily, she moved past the main emergency doors of the hospital and slipped outside into the warping green of the Ghost Zone. The great CGIA ship loomed ahead like a dark cloud, having passed through the rift. Valerie watched a port open from the underbelly of the convoy, and three heavily armed scouts slid down ropes.

* * *

"Sir, we're picking up minimal activity, but the ectoplasmic readings are off the charts, and I have a confirmed lock on Phantom's signature. We've deployed three men to scout the area," Agent T informed him.

"Very well."

Tense moments passed as the agents quickly moved away from the ship, scoping the area. Lieutenant Agent O watched from the forward display. Then, movement from the looming building caught his eye. He paused. "T, magnify the screen."

"Yes, sir."

And in the display, standing grim and solid, was someone he thought dead. "Valerie Gray?" he said, recognizing the red suit. His fingers tapped against the computer's control. "What an unexpected surprise."

"_Sir, it appears she's armed and alone_," one of the scouts echoed over the comm, breathing heavily as he and his team members ran across the concrete. "_What shall our course of action be_?"

"Hmm. Find out what she's doing here first. It's possible she reached Phantom before us." Agent O hummed. "But don't trust her. If she was alive all this time, then she should have checked back into base." His eyes narrowed. "Something's off about her."

"_Yes, sir; readings indicate she's swimming with multiple ectoplasmic auras_."

"Is she emanating a signature of her own?"

"_Not a ghostly one, sir. She's still human_."

The head agent paused in deep thought. "Perhaps she's been contaminated. If you feel you need the tactical advantage to continue your mission, you fire on her, understand?"

"_Yes, sir_."

"And do not follow her orders."

"…_Yes, sir_."

* * *

Four human beings met in the middle of the concrete field, caught between the shadows of the convoy ship and the shadows of the hospital.

The three agents raised their weapons. "Confirm your identity!"

"Valerie Gray," she said. She lifted her gun and pointed it at the agent's forehead, eyes narrowed. "Stand down, soldier. I'm your commanding officer, and Phantom is officially under my protection and jurisdiction."

The leader of the team, Agent J, seemed completely unaffected. "Valerie Gray was reported to have died in the fire of the CGIA." He raised his own gun and mirrored her. "Dead people can't give orders."

"Are you suggesting I'm a ghost?" she demanded incredulously.

"I'm suggesting that you no longer exist, according to _my _book," Agent J said. "I don't care how you survived it, but you're officially a rogue element and thus an inconformity in the CGIA. The system says you're dead. I am within every right to disregard your orders."

"Under Code 506 of the CGIA system, you're already disobeying orders." Valerie's eyes hardened. "The Ghost Zone is an off-limits area. You shouldn't even be here."

"Then neither should you."

"I'm no longer with the CGIA."

"So then I don't have to follow your orders."

Valerie's lips pressed together in frustration, cornered. _Dammit_. She was outnumbered.

Both sides stood at a standstill, waiting for the other to make a move. When Valerie stepped forward, the three stepped back, aiming to shoot. "Don't move, Gray!" Agent J said. "We have orders to shoot anything that gets in our path, including humans. And I'd hated to shoot you."

"Is it worth it to you, if you did?" Valerie asked, listening to the charging whine of their weapons. From such a small distance, she could see the distinctive green glow Phantom's power. "I bet you think it is. I bet you think it's great you tortured Phantom for his own energy too."

"If we retrieve Phantom, we can power enough nuclear generators to destroy the Ghost Zone for good," J said. "The end justifies the means. And if we have to exploit certain…resources, we will."

"Exploit?" A wave of hatred flooded Valerie's mind, but she forced herself to remain calm. A small, mocking smile twisted her lips. "No, exploitation implies unfair treatment. You nearly _killed _him. You broke him down. That's beyond simply exploiting someone."

"Phantom's already dead, Valerie," the agent said, eyes hardening. "Has the Ghost Zone affected you this much? He's not like us. He doesn't think the way humans do. He's dangerous. You know that everything we've done to him was justified revenge."

"And what about the other ghosts?" Valerie demanded, unconvinced. "What about all the other experiments that went on without my knowledge? Was that justified too? Was it worth it?"

"Are you listening to yourself, Gray?" the agent shot back. "You were capturing ghosts for us just days ago. What's happened to you?"

Valerie felt silent for a moment. "You realize a lot of people are gonna get hurt if you try to take him from here," she said, switching tactics to avoid their questions. "You Guys in White have done enough damage already. Let me handle this my way, and we can all go home safe."

"No can do, Gray. Phantom belongs to the Guys in White, and we're here to retrieve what is ours."

Her lips curled. "He doesn't belong to you."

"According to our files, he does." Agent J tilted his chin towards the hospital. "Now my sensors say he's in there somewhere. And I bet you know where he is."

"It's a big dimension," Valerie replied. "I'm still looking myself."

"You know his location, traitor," the agent said. He could see through her lies. "Don't play games with me."

"You're the one playing games," she shot back. "_I'm_ the one trying to save everybody from a bloodbath."

The agent persisted. "Take us to him, or I swear I'll shoot you. If you refuse to comply, then you'll be eliminated as a necessary casualty, and we'll find Phantom ourselves."

Valerie's mind raced. The odds weren't good. She had three super-charged blasters all trained at her heart. Even if she managed to shoot one agent, she'd be dead before she could take out the others.

"Valerie, take us to Phantom." He added, "If you do, maybe we won't even press charges for your obvious treason."

Her eyes narrowed at the slight against her. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice, huh?"

"No, you don't. Throw your weapon down too. We don't want you to try anything."

Valerie's face twisted into a grimace, cheeks flamed with anger and embarrassment. "Fine." She let the neck of the blaster slip through her fingers to clatter onto the ground. Then she turned around. She could feel their eyes follow her, in the same way their blasters mirrored her movements.

"Come on, Gray. Get a move on."

"Alright, alright." Valerie centered herself as she took a couple of steps. "Just hope you can keep up," she whispered.

Coiling her energy, she flipped back into a handspring, kicking Agent J down. She grabbed his gun and hers and crossed the blasters, pulling both triggers. The two other agents dropped in surprised heaps, their own shots misfiring to Valerie's side.

Before she could move away, Agent J overcame his shock and struggled beneath her. "Bitch!" he hissed angrily, grabbing hold of her arms and tearing them back. He brought himself up at her expense, and Valerie sharply inhaled at the pain of his weight tearing down her shoulders and bad arm. "How dare you!"

"Trust me," she snarled back, breathless. "You had it coming." She thrashed in his vice-like grip until one of his hands slipped. Then she pivoted back and, with a cry, drop-kicked him in the chest, sending him flying back onto the concrete. For a second, he didn't move. Then the agent coughed, groaning, but he pulled himself together and got back up on shaking legs. Anger stemmed from every line of his body. His visor was broken, and he wiped blood from his mouth as he glared at Valerie.

"This is personal now," he glared harshly. His fists clenched. Then he charged.

Valerie pressed the button on her headset before she engaged the furious agent in hand-to-hand combat. Their blasters laid off to the side, temporarily out of reach. "Negotiations are off!" she yelled, grunting with every hard hit from the agent. "Bring the heat!"

And the moment Valerie gave the order, squads of ghosts stormed from the hospital in a furious frenzy, whooping with war cries. They quickly flew across the concrete, covering Valerie's vulnerable position and pouring forth their energy against the CGIA in a massive wave of ectoplasmic power.

* * *

"Agents R and B have been exterminated, sir! Agent J is requesting immediate back up! We're being fired on!" Agent T looked at the forward display, eyes wide as the massive movement surged towards them, the ghost radar whining at its highest level.

Agent O took command from the deck of Convoy One. "This is what we were expecting, T. Begin defensive maneuvers. Deploy footmen and aerial support. Let's take these punk ghosts out and get back what is ours!"

"Yes, sir!"

The CGIA convoy advanced forward, the hull of the ship retracting into numerous ports of long-range weapons and missile launchers. The bottom opened up, and squadrons of small fighter jets poured into the atmosphere like locusts, humming with a drone wilder and more ominous than the darkest of plagues. Then the ship unloaded numerous troops of heavily-armed footmen carrying super-charged blaster and heat-signature goggles.

"Steady advancing, boys," Agent O commanded his troops, closely watching the unfolding battle from above. "This is just the preliminaries."

"Agent J is down, sir!"

Agent O pressed a button, perhaps a little harder than he had to. "First one to bring me the body of that traitor Gray will be promoted." Then he sat down, arming himself up. "If Valerie wants to play games," he seethed at the death of his subordinates, "we'll give her a game."

And the two factions slammed into each other with a force that blasted back the first row of footmen.

* * *

Inside the hospital, Danielle's fingertips tensed as emerald fire stormed from her body and expanded over the building. Tucker initiated his own electromagnetic sequences to modify it. "Alright," Dani pep-talked herself. "I can do this."

It was by far the largest barrier she'd ever made.

The first hit blasted against the barrier before it completely encompassed the building, and it shook Danielle to the core. Sweat broke out over her temple as pain tore through her body. She winced and gritted her teeth. "Okay. I can do this. This is fun."

"You gonna hold up, Dani?" Tucker said, flickering his gaze up at the girl in concern.

"Yeah," she smiled painfully, hiding her uncertainty. "I think so." Her arms shook as another hit rocked the barrier.

Across the room, Maddie tried contacting Valerie, purple eyes worried. "Valerie, are you alright? Were you injured?"

Valerie's breathless voice broke the static. "No, I'm okay. Just a little winded. Everything working?"

"Working great. Danielle's got the barrier up, and Sam and Tucker are fixing the defense systems to lock on the ship's coordinates. All the ghost teams have deployed."

"Good," Valerie replied. From the middle ground, she surveyed the beginning clash between ghosts and GIWs and took on a grim triumph as she leaned down to retrieve her favorite blaster. She pushed the recharged button, and her eyes narrowed. "Time for a little revenge."

The mother pressed her lips together. Then she said, "Give 'em hell, Valerie."

"With pleasure," the girl replied, a vindictive, little smirk twisting her face. Her suit reconfigured, nano-particles compiling together to create a solid jet sled beneath her.

And the young commander stormed ahead to the front lines, blasters ready for punishment.

Up ahead, CGIA footmen quickly tightened into team formations under the quick orders of Agent O. And in the midst of guitar chords, fire, ice, claws, and swinging roots, the footmen held strong, backed by the slowly-advancing Convoy. Phantom-powered missiles and lasers consistently alternated from the Convoy's battle stations and hull ports, sending devastating explosions into the ghost teams.

Skulker headed the front lines against the CGIA with a battle cry, green optics lit in fury. He tore through rank after rank of Guys in White, twisting his body and arm blades in instinctive moves against their attacks.

In the mess of shouts and fires, he found himself beside Valerie, who covered him and his squad from the fighter jets. She spiraled, shooting into the cockpits. "Walker!" she commanded over the comm. "We need a way to stop their planes, ASAP!" She grimaced as she missed, the planes moving too fast. Their vaulted blasters sent barrages her way. "They're taking out too many of us."

Walker's southern drawl buzzed in. "_I believe Technus is already on it. He's setting up something along the perimeter." _

"Good." Valerie replied, then contacted Maddie. "Mrs. Fenton? Get Tucker on the line."

Tucker's voice poured in. "_Already here_."

"Any luck on hacking their ship?"

She could hear him clacking away on his laptop. "_I'm working on cracking their security codes now, but they've beefed 'em up with some serious firewalls. If I can, I'll try to offline their weapons first_."

Worry pooled in her stomach. "You'd better hurry, you hear? We're holding up, but between the jets and the ship, we're getting slammed big time." She watched the movements of her teams. "And I dunno how long we can keep going like this."

* * *

"Guys?" Danielle whispered shakily. "I can't keep doing this."

The barrage of harder hits began, signaling a breach in the front line.

Tears bubbled in her green eyes, because everyone knew she wasn't as strong as Danny, and she knew it too. He could've kept up a barrier against the CGIA for this long, but Dani? She could feel her power draining away. Daniel's power had manifested in ways more powerful than her own. Her powers had manifested itself for stealth and secrecy, not brunt work.

Too bad she hadn't known that until now.

"You can do it, Dani!" Sam shouted from the control console, unable to look away from her camera view of the outside. She narrowed her gaze as she pulled on the controls, readjusting the outside lasers to target CGIA planes and heavy artillery.

"I can't!" Danielle whispered frantically, tears streaming down her face. "I can't anymore!" Her arms shook. "Guys, help me!"

"Dani, you're gonna have to hold on for a little longer," Sam pleaded with her. She turned to Tucker. "Tuck, can't you help her out?"

"Tryin' to, but the hospital barrier's already been maxed out and combined with hers! There isn't much I can do!"

Another hit. The barrier flickered. Some of Danielle's hair fell out of its ponytail and curled with the sweat that trickled down her forehead. She swooned, eyes blurring. "G-guys…"

"Dani!"

Suddenly, the temperature in the room dropped, and two strong hands steadied her. A deep and smooth voice wrapped about her like a warm blanket. "Now, now, dear, we just can't have this."

Fear and joy.

"…Vlad?" she whispered in disbelief.

He helped her to stand. "Follow my lead," he told her. His voice was comforting, so soft and strong, but his powerful hands were cold and steely against her arms. Clarity swept through her mind with his touch, and she locked her shaky limbs.

"Where−?" she asked softly, but her voice caught in her throat.

"Now isn't the time for silly questions, sweetheart."

Vlad reinforced her weakened barrier with his own, overshadowing the flicking green with brilliant magenta light that spread across the hospital. The CGIA blasted again. This time, the barrier held easily.

"It's just like chess, my child," he told her. "The opponent is all knights and pawns right now, but if we hold out, we can drain their queen."

"Why…why are you helping me?" she asked breathlessly, on the brink of crying at the sight of him.

"This is beyond us," he replied, avoiding her question. Vlad's red eyes grew a bit sad. "And I have to destroy what I created unintentionally." He gently nudged her away. "Now relax, child. I will carry this weight."

Danielle stumbled to the tiles, eyes wide. The very sight of him opened old wounds, ones she'd believed had scabbed over and healed.

Apparently not.

Her chest constricted with a horrible flurry of emotion, and the air thickened in her lungs until she couldn't breathe.

Out. She had to get away from him. She had to get out.

Danielle backed away on shaky legs, out of the control room, her eyes wide. "I'm just gonna r-rest out here then," she whispered.

Then she materialized into the hall connected to the main lobby, shoulders hitched with a concealed sob.

Maddie, who'd initially jumped at the sight of another ghost, watched the two with curious and deeply concerned eyes. _I've seen this ghost before_…Then it hit her. "The Wisconsin Ghost?" she whispered.

He turned around, and he lost his focus. "Maddie?" he whispered. Another hit on the barrier, and he winced, quickly redirecting his focus back to the present. "You, my dear, are the last person I expected to see."

Tucker and Sam looked at each other uncertainly, wondering if they should intercede.

Maddie, however, pressed on. "What are _you _doing here?"

His heart fluttered at the bells of her voice. "I'm afraid I may have missed the initial sign-up, but I myself have a particular score to settle with the CGIA."

Maddie appeared unconvinced. "So how did you get here without setting off the tracking alarms?"

"Long-distance flight is for amateurs," Vlad scoffed. "I teleported, as any superior being would!"

He split himself in two, and the first second Plasmius gallantly bowed in Maddie's direction. "Now, to settle the score." He rose to his full height. "Until later, my dear."

Maddie, still put-off by the Wisconsin Ghost for once attempting to kidnap her, did not wish him luck as he went intangible. She did, however, keep an eye on the remaining Plasmius, somewhat unnerved by the occasional looks shot her way.

"You know," Vlad said suddenly to break the tension, "this barrier isn't all that taxing." He hummed, raising a brow. "Danielle, I must say that your stamina regarding heavy military-" he clicked his mouth shut in realization that she wasn't in earshot. "Danielle, if you would be so kind as to come back here!"

Maddie remembered seeing Danielle going intangible. "Isn't she down the hall?"

Vlad backed up and squinted his eyes. "No. She's not there." A little stab of dread welled in his stomach. "It's abandoned. Where could she have gone?"

The half-ghost then had the sinking suspicion that he knew exactly where she was. He looked at the battlefield through his clone's eyes, and he snarled. "_There_. Of course she'd go there! Doesn't that girl have any sense of self-preservation?" He split himself again, and the third Plasmius raced out of the room in a whirlwind, leaving the control room in a tense silence.

The original Vlad still stood awkwardly, holding up the barrier, fishing for an answer to settle Maddie's confused and alarmed expression.

Then he realized he had nothing comforting to say.

* * *

Valerie gasped as magenta power stormed beside her, knocking down an incoming GIW. She wheeled around and saw Vlad fly beside her. "Plasmius!" she said in surprise, somewhat guarded. "What are you going here?"

"What am I _not_ doing here?" he shot back. "Lucky for you that I came when I did! Poor, wretched Danielle was about to collapse in exhaustion." His eyes darted. "Now that she's been relieved of said duty, you wouldn't happen to know where she flew off to, would you?"

"Nope," Valerie said point-blank, grunting as she pivoted to slam her elbow into the jugular of the footman. Then the gravity of Vlad's words hit her, and her eyes widened. "Wait, you mean Dani _isn't_ back at the control room?"

"Not anymore," the older man grimaced, joining the fray enclosing on them "And it's rather important that I find her."

Valerie's mind raced, identifying him as the one who had cloned Dani. "Like hell I'd tell you, even if I knew where she was! You stay away from her! Get out of here!"

"Oh, come off the high horse, Valerie!" Vlad admonished. How he managed to act so snobbish in the middle of a major battle was beyond her. "This miserable excuse for a resistance needs my help more than you're willing to admit! All I'm asking in return is information."

"Out of all the ghosts here, I trust you the least," she said, even as they stood back to back, shooting footmen who pressed in on them. "Why do you even care about Dani? I thought you abandoned her after you cloned her!"

"I didn't abandon her, per se; we had a bit of a spat about priorities." Vlad's face twisted in annoyance. "And here I am, trying to look after her instead of-" He grunted as a blast caught his side, nearly knocking him into Valerie. He recognized the power as inhuman, as Danny's. His red eyes narrowed. "Butter biscuits, what sort of savagery is this?"

"It's the CGIA welcoming wagon!" Valerie yelled back.

The great well of power within him swarmed in irritation. "This is the power of Danny Phantom," he stated, almost in disbelief. "How did they…?"

_The barrier._ He recognized it now. He could feel Danny's power, hollow, metallic, laced with the pain under which it was collected. It pounded the hospital barrier without true aim. No doubt, the other ghosts could feel the same thing.

Then Vlad looked up, and his pupils dilated at an incoming attack. "Look out!"

Valerie's eyes widened. "Wha-?"

He shoved her out of the way, forming a quick barrier. The missile exploded over them, shimmering with Phantom power. Sweat dripped down his temples, and his red eyes narrowed. "So this is the monster I created?"

Valerie gave him a weird look. "What?"

"Uh, nothing," he replied quickly, red eyes avoiding hers. "Nothing at all."

Having split himself into fours, his ability to hold up multiple fronts was wearing on him, both physically and mentally. He cursed himself at his near slip-up, and he fumed at his discovery.

"It appears," Vlad gritted out, switching topics, "that the CGIA quite enjoys targeting you, Valerie." Convoy One hovered over them, slowly advancing.

She glared up at the ship. "Yeah, I'm a favorite right now."

"Just imagine, you'd be dead were I not here to protect you."

She turned at him, eyes flashing. "I don't need your help, ghost! I got everything under control."

"I'm sure," he deadpanned, even as he lifted the barrier. "Valerie, I would highly suggest that you retreat. You're a target, and I wasn't planning on being your shield."

She threw grenades out in a circle and watched as they exploded before the footmen could attack them. She turned to Vlad. "Fine! Get out of here," she snarled.

Vlad's clone spiraled up and disappeared. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two more Plasmius clones appear far in the distance. One joined the fray in the front while the other swept the area, searching.

She gave a huff. "Coward."

Still, as much as she disliked Plasmius, he was right. She pressed her earpiece. "Guys, I'm being targeted by heavy fire. I need to fall back."

Frostbite's voice came over the comm. "_My team will cover you, young one_!"

* * *

Back by the hospital's humming barrier, Technus looked up from his devices to survey the clashing front lines. "Hmm, it appears that I have finally completed my ultimate experiment! I, Technus, master of all things electric, will now single-handedly give those poorly-energized airplanes a run for their money!"

Technus lowered his goggles, pushing a button on his handheld device. The dozen Tesla coils hummed to life, sparking with energy beams that shot out to the jets. The energy collided with the metal, and all targeted fighter jets exploded, crashing to the concrete in a maze of fire. A few ghosts dived out of the way of the crashing debris.

Technus paused to admire his work.

Then he gloated. "Aha!" Technus cried, laughing, pumping his fist in the air. "I, Technus, have successfully turned their technology into their weakness! At last! I still remain the uncontested master of all thing ele−!"

A carefully-aimed missile from the convoy exploded the coils, throwing Technus back in a flurry of debris and metal.

* * *

Danielle stared at the wide expanse of fallen CGIA footmen and ghosts, blood and ectoplasm staining the concrete fields. Images of street robbers and rapists swam in the back of her mind, but none of them were as terrifying as the sight before her.

"Oh man," her lips quivered. "This is bad."

She understood why Valerie had given her a post away from the battle: the hunter had known it'd get this bad.

For one wild moment, Danielle considered running back inside to the safety of the hospital, regardless of Vlad's presence. But then an ectoplasmic blast stormed just past her head, and the halfa wheeled to the side, coming face to face with a Guy in White.

"Freeze, scum!" the footman yelled, raising the barrel of his blaster. Other footmen in his squad followed their leader.

"Oh, geez!" Instinctively, Danielle raised her hands into a barrier, which held strong against the much smaller weapons. She stared straight into the eyes of her attacker: a strong, young man whose handsome face was twisted with hatred.

"You think that barrier's gonna hold up against me?" he snarled. He recharged the blaster, this time to a more powerful level. When he shot her with Phantom energy her own energy she winced.

"You think you can turn that thing down?" she huffed.

"I'm gonna annihilate you first, ghost," he taunted, motioning his men to surround her. "Say your prayers."

Some deep fear pulled at Danielle's core, and power she didn't even know she had tore forth in a bright flux, crackling the edges of her barrier with lightning that shot into the entire squad of footmen. She gasped, quickly powering down her barrier.

A strange silence surrounded her.

"Oh God." Her blast had shattered the footmen's protective armor, revealing crackling electronics and burnt skin. They all lied in skewed positions around her. "Oh God, what was-?"

_What just happened? _

She dropped down beside the leader, who struggled to breathe as his lungs filled with blood. His protective visor had broken, his goggles had shattered.

His rolling eyes landed on her terrified gaze, and he stared at the DP insignia on her suit in confusion. Then, his brown eyes were wide and misted over in fear. He was dead.

Dead. And she'd killed him.

She pulled away from the man, hands shaky.

She'd fought a lot in her short life, but never this. Never like this.

"-ani!" She heard an all-too familiar voice, but it felt so far away, and everything felt so far away "Danielle!"

"Danielle!" Vlad's strong grip latched onto her elbow, and he spun her around. She came face-to-face with his wide, angered eyes. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

She snapped out the daze. "Get away from me!" she said, trying to snatch back her elbow, still reeling from her first kill. She tried to brush away her tears and the nausea, but her pale face revealed her inner terror.

"What are you doing out here?" he hissed. "Get back inside the barrier, where you can't be harmed!"

"No!" Danielle managed to pull away in time to shoot one of the nearby footmen heading their way with reinforcements.

_Gotta protect Danny. Forget about the faces. Forget about Vlad. _

"You don't belong out here!" Vlad argued. "You're just a child, Dani, a child!"

"I'm nineteen, and you can't tell me what to do!" she shouted back, voice ragged. "I can do this!"

"You don't have to!" Vlad said harshly, pulling her along. "You're not even stable enough to fight!"

"Oh, so you just don't wanna lose you precious clone?" she bit back. "And for the record, Danny helped to stabilize me a long time ago!" She snatched her arm away. "Why do you even care?"

"You will not survive!" he said helplessly, narrowly avoiding the barrage of lasers that targeted them both.

"Oh yeah?" she retaliated. "That's rich, coming from you! You who tried to kill me to make the 'perfect' clone? You who abandoned me to the streets?"

Vlad's lips pressed together, his black brows furrowed. "Danielle, don't you dare take that tone-!"

"I can and I will!" the girl said, green eyes hardened.

"Dani, you look like him! Like Danny Phantom! They might choose to capture you, and if you do, your proteins will show up with _my-_!"

"So you're just saving your own skin by protecting me?" Disappointment and hatred tore through her. "That's what this is about?"

The battle around them fell into the background as Danielle did something she never expected to do: she pushed her hands against Vlad's chest and shot him, palms sparking with energy.

He skidded and stumbled back. He looked up at his creation, eyes wide with shock and pain.

"Get _away_ from me," she seethed. "I can take care of myself, _Dad_."

And for a second, he saw a spark of will power greater than his own.

A shaky, weak smile twitched his thin lips. "It…appears I have taught you something," he rasped, "after all." He held his chest as he faded away. "Very well, I trust that you will survive on your own." His red eyes bored into her. "_Don't_ get caught."

Dani stared as Vlad's clone disappeared in a whirl of pain, leaving her alone in the decimated circle of concrete. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts, most of which involved surviving so that she could problem solve through the rest.

Swallowing hard to wet her dry throat, Dani found herself in the middle of an ever-enclosing wave of GIWs. Dora and Aragon flew past her, mouths frothing with fire. The Fright Knight's team wasn't too far head, but she realized she could no longer afford to be stationary.

She steeled herself, even though her arms and legs shook with adrenaline and fear. "This is for Danny," she whispered.

And for the second time, she turned her power against humans.

She spiraled up. Her hands glowed blue as she shot ice beams, freezing her targets in waves. The frozen GIWs then became sitting ducks to the ghosts below her, and she doubled her output, falling into an instinctive pattern of dodges and attacks.

But the CGIA were many, and Danielle was only one.

Unknown to her, battle stations on Convoy One redirected their heavy artillery, locking onto her coordinates. By the time she heard the power storming towards her, it was too late.

Danielle gasped as she felt CGIA laser tear through her side, disrupting her flight. She crashed to the concrete in an ungainly mess of limbs, crying out.

Waves of pain tore through her, even as her systems worked to repair the burns and broken bones in short order. She tried to think, tried to move. _Have to get up! _

But she couldn't move fast enough.

Human hands grabbed her by the ponytail, and she cried out, feeling herself dragged up. Overwhelming panic stole through her body. She fought against her captors. They were too strong.

Pain. Something they wore deflected ghostly energy, and it sparked against her again and again until she felt her body go numb and her vision blur.

"It looks like Phantom," the footman said, peering at her as one would an insect. He pulled out a vicious looking weapon, and he jammed it against the skin of her stomach. "This oughta hold you," he said with a wicked smile.

The horrible feeling of defeat sapped the energy from her. She turned her gaze to the man, shaking in pain from being forced to stand on broken legs.

But as he moved to pull the trigger, a red jet slid bulldozed him off, shooting at the footmen holding Danielle down. They jerked from the fire, hands releasing their captive. "Get away from her!" a familiar voice yelled as it rounded back.

Danielle felt relief wash through her, and she collapsed to the ground, feeling her bones try to mend. She closed her eyes, listening to Valerie's war cry as she shot the last of her captors.

Then things got quieter.

"Jesus, you're lucky I got here when I did." Valerie dropped beside her. "You okay, kid?"

Danielle's green eyes opened in pain. "I…I dunno," she wheezed. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she tried to sit up, but something cracked. She fell back. "Uh oh."

"Dammit," Valerie swore worriedly. "Come on, kid. I'll help you outta here." Maybe it was the girl's resemblance to Danny, or maybe it was simply the girl's nature, but Valerie felt a sense of accountability towards her. She need to protect Danielle.

She wasn't gonna let any Phantom get hurt.

"I'm sorry," Danielle whispered, shame shading her voice as Valerie gently pulled her onto the jet sled.

"It ain't your fault. This isn't even your battle to fight." Valerie glanced down at Dani, and she held a blaster before her, scanning for targeting enemies. "Plasmius is out looking for you. Thought I would try to get to you first."

"Too late," Danielle said. "But thanks anyway."

"He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," the younger girl replied, a bit sheepishly. "I killed his clone, though."

"Good," the hunter grunted. "Probably deserved it."

But as Valerie fought their way through the masses, one of the footmen assaulted the hunter, shooting her point-blank from the back. It caught her bad shoulder, and she stumbled, taking Danielle down with her. In another hit, Valerie cried out as a blast tore into her stomach. Surrounding footmen closed in.

Time slowed down.

"Agent O?" the footman said into his comm. "I found her! I found Valerie Grey with a suspected relative of Danny Phantom. Divert special artillery to my coordinates!"

"_Acknowledged, agent_."

Danielle instinctively moved, forming a small barrier around the two of them, forcing her healing body to stand. It did not feel good, but she had no choice. "Valerie?" she shouted nervously, grimacing in pain. "Valerie? You okay?"

Valerie's teal eyes stared wide at the green bubble masking the Ghost Zone's sky, muffling the battle sounds and blocking the blasts.

For a second, she forgot where she was, or what she was doing.

"-lerie? Valerie!" Danielle's voice swam in her ears. "Come on, stay with me!" Desperation tinged her voice. "You can't do this! If I can't die, then neither can you!"

She blinked, then groaned. Her body wouldn't respond. Her arm stung with damaged nerves and hot blood staining her suit. "I know."

"_Valerie_?" Mrs. Fenton's worried voice cut into her ear piece. "_Are you hurt_?"

"Yeah," Valerie groaned, reorganizing her tumbling thoughts. "Phantom's power packs a punch." She pulled a shaky away from her stinging side, disheartened when she saw blood. "Like a battering ram."

Danielle concentrated, strengthening the barrier against the heavier attacks of Phantom's energy. "Val, I don't know how long I can hold out like this," she said, breathing hard, still aching from her own hits combined with her previous injuries. "The ship knows our location." She shuddered as another hit stormed around the barrier. "As in it _seriously _knows our location!"

"I'm sure it does," the older girl grumbled. She inhaled sharply and hardened her gaze as she forced herself to stand. Dani watched her in concern. "I'll be okay," she gasped out to set aside Dani's fears. Her bloody hand raised her blaster, and through the barrier, she targeted all the surrounding GIWs. "Just…g-gotta stop this," she whispered. Closing one eye, she pulled the trigger. One man fell, then another. And another.

Even injured, she had great aim.

"You…doin' okay, D-Dani?"

"For a little longer," the girl said breathlessly. "What are you doing?"

She looked up at the ship, noting the port from which the lasers were targeting them. "Maybe…"

She grimaced as she pulled out a small grenade from her small pack, loading it into the front of her gun. She took aim at the ship and fired. The grenade soared straight into the ship port, blocking the laser blaster until the entire port exploded in fire, rocking the convoy.

The halfa stared up in shock at the damage. "Whoa." She turned to Valerie, as if she were some invincible being. "You're good at this."

"N-not as good as I'd like to be," Valerie grimaced, feeling her body weaken with every passing second. "I'm hit too bad to stay out here." She gripped her side as she forced herself onto her jet sled, pulling Danielle along with her. "We have to get away," she grunted out. Only grim determination moved her tiring body forward. "I think they m-might be targeting you t-too."

"We gotta get you out of here first," Danielle said worriedly. She helped along by giving the sled an extra boost with her own energy, as Valerie's concentration stunted its abilities. "You're bleeding bad, Val."

The ghost hunter leaned against the halfa. "Aren't you the one who couldn't move earlier?" she grumbled.

"Perk of being half-ghost," Danielle said. Then she frowned. "One of the few, really."

"I dunno," Valerie groaned, "sounds like it'd be worth it right about now." Her vision began to blur as they came up to the great pillars of the hospital, but even she saw the numerous people running to and fro, among them Jazz and a couple of ghost doctors.

The shock steeled her. "What the hell?" she hissed in surprise. "Jazz?"

Jazz looked up and spotted Dani and Valerie. Her face melted into a mix of relief and fear. "You're alive!" she said, running to them. Ectoplasm and blood not her own stained her pants and shoes.

"I told you to stay inside!"

"Nope," Jazz corrected Valerie. "You told Sam that. You told me to get patients to safety, which I reinterpreted to mean you guys too." She gently readjusted her grip on Valerie's side, careful not to hit her injury. "That's just what I'm doing."

Valerie pressed her pale lips together, caught between glaring and rolling her eyes. A very large part of her was thankful. "Yeah, yeah," she huffed out. "If you get shot, it's not my fault."

Jazz tilted her chin forward. "I got some of the doctors here to volunteer as field medics, in case we needed them." She looked back. "Dani, you okay? You're limping. I can get a doctor for you too."

"No, I think I'll be okay without 'em," Danielle said softly. "I'll heal on my own. I just…just gotta rest for a second."

Before the three, a sprawling mess of wounded ghosts already lied on the ground, among them Technus, seriously burned, and Wulf, who suffered multiple hits to his hide. Ectoplasm leeched into the concrete cracks beneath them both.

One of the ghost doctors looked up at Valerie, and stress crossed his face. "Another one?" he moaned, quickly flying over. He pulled out a scanner and held it in front of Valerie's face. "You're about to hit a critical percentage of blood loss, Red Hunter. We need to get you bandaged up and on an IV, stat."

As Danielle and Jazz helped Valerie to sit on the ground, the doctor fluttered around, pulling tubes from a crash cart.

With a wince, Valerie pressed on her earpiece. "Fright Knight, report."

"My commander!" his booming voice smoothed over the static of the comm. "We are facing a breach in our line. My team is tiring! These humans keep coming!" She heard his grunt as he wielded his sword. "And their weapons are exceedingly advanced!"

The woman quickly asked, "In what way?"

"We tried to go intangible! They still saw us!"

Valerie paused, thinking. "Walker, I need you to release some of your men…" she held back a groan of pain when the doctor pushed an IV into her vein, "… to back up the Fright Night."

"_Understood_," his gravelly voice echoed. A squad of Walker's jailers stormed up the battlefront to reinforce the team.

Valerie coughed. "Skulker? You holding up?"

Skulker's comm connected, and she heard the strange spatter of blood. "_I could keep going_," the ghost said, still energized. "_We're driving a line straight to the ship_."

"Good," Valerie approved. She leaned against one of the hospital's great pillars, allowing herself to relax for the first time in hours. "Guys, I'm gonna be out for a while. Took two shots."

"_Understood, Commander! Rest assured we'll press onwards_!"

* * *

Later, as the doctor rolled out bandages to wrap her side, Valerie's suit beeped at her, indicating a foreign, incoming transmission. She groaned, moving her arm up to see who had contacted her. She was already getting stiff. "Speak to me."

"_Miss Valerie Gray_," a smooth, deep voice said casually.

Cold, cold water washed over.

Valerie's eyes narrowed in dread. "Agent O?" Her fists clenched. "What do you want? Why are you contacting me? How did you even manage to-?"

"-_This is a private frequency, Valerie. Your own frequency is too well encrypted_." She could hear him tap his fingers against a console.

"Why are contacting me?" Valerie demanded again, forcing the pain out of her voice. She couldn't show weakness to this man.

"_I can tell your meager forces are tiring_," Agent O gloated. "_If you surrender now, we'll spare the survivors as prisoners of war_."

She frowned, immediately replying, "Hell will freeze over first."

"_That's an unfortunate decision, Miss Gray. This now means we'll have you annihilate you all_." Agent O sighed. "_But I suppose I expected that_." He paused. "_My radar is unable to pinpoint Phantom's exact location, as his signature is rather…dampened at the moment. I can only assume you have him in some sort of suspended animation_?"

"What's it to you?" Valerie gnashed out.

"_Oh, nothing. I was just going to thank you for making his transport back to base much easier. We won't have to…subdue him in any inhumane way now if he's unconscious to the move_."

Her eyes widened, and she seethed. "You wouldn't dare."

"_Oh, I dare. I also dare to have you court-marshaled, Valerie, for everything you've done. Phantom's possessed you_," he said. "_Taken you over. I see it in the way you move. You move like one of them now._"

"In comparison to what? The swagger of a particular government agent with a stick up his ass?" Valerie retaliated.

Agent O continued, ignoring her statement, "_I'm going to send you to a terrorist internment camp in the Carolinas. You'll never leave that jail, Valerie. For the rest of your life, you'll be a prisoner. Your crimes against humanity will be paid_."

The harsh precision of his words rubbed her the wrong way, and Valerie grunted out a laugh to hide a scream. "My crimes against humanity? You tortured my friend. You deceived me, and you deceived your followers." She hissed as her movements spread pain up her side. "Y-you're sick. I can't believe I ever even worked with you."

"_I'm not sick. I'm simply doing a job that needs to be done. I will see Operation White Fang to its end." _The agent paused. "_I suppose, if you refuse to negotiate a surrender, then we have nothing further to discuss. Goodbye, Valerie_."

He cut the frequency before she could say anything, and Valerie clenched her fist. "You're not gonna win," she whispered, even though he couldn't hear her. The possibility that she could lose everything she'd fought for sent chills up her spine. "You're not gonna win."

_I hope._

* * *

In the chaos of battle, a few ghosts managed to slip behind enemy lines. Among them was Amorpho. The featureless ghost wrapped his black trench coat around him tightly, materializing past the numerous ranks with a level of invisibility beyond the other ghosts' capacity.

"It appears," he mused, "that I may have an opportunity to meet the CGIA face to face." Then he laughed at his own joke, stroking the wraps about his head. "In a matter of speaking, of course."

He was not one for battle, but he was one for extensive, havoc-wreaking mischief, and he had a plan, now that the majority of the GIWs were deployed and fighting the other ghosts.

He flew up to Convoy One and slipped inside. "Now, I do believe the engines are usually on the lower levels…" He scanned the area quickly and reconfigured his appearance.

The ship whined alarms. _Ghost aboard, ghost aboard, ghost aboard! _But the GIWs ran past Amorpho for the time being, mistaking his solid disguise of a uniform and shaved head for one of the ship's technicians.

Amorpho smirked as the room quickly emptied. "Not the most intelligent bunch," he commented. "They reek of ignorant obedience." Then he shrugged. "Well let's see what sort of trouble we can stir up here in their absence, shall we?"

Turning around, he found himself facing a large engine console. Most of the controls were foreign to him, with the exception of the big, red _do not touch _buttons. He laughed. "Ooh, this looks important."

His form's thick fingers pushed the button.

Within seconds, he watched one of the engines lock up and whirl to a stop, slowing the ship, and he stroked his chin. "Hmm, yes. I suppose that was important. Oops."

A brilliantly mischievous smirk crossed the fake-technician's lips. "I wonder what _else _is important?"

* * *

On the surveillance deck, Agent T received a buzz, and he alerted Agent O. "Sir, we have confirmation that Convoy One is suffering from a major engine malfunction. Two agents in the hull are requesting our immediate attention."

"Connect me in."

"_Sir, engines two and five just stopped working_!"

Agent O growled. "…Stopped working?"

"_Uh, yes?" _Their quick movements echoed in the static. "_Sir, we don't know how it happened, but the engine turbines froze. It's possible there's something caught in the turbines to stop them, but so far we've found nothing_."

A metallic hum stopped, and the ship tilted further. "_Sir! Engines three and four just stopped as well! We're now running under twenty-percent efficiency, which isn't enough to keep Convoy One in the air_!"

Agent O thought quickly. "We lose the ship, we lose our generators. How much firepower do we have left in those?"

"_Well, sir, we've drained one completely. The second one is at half-capacity, and the third one hasn't been touched yet." _

From the computer, Agent O narrowed his eyes. "And you can't restart the engines?"

"_Looks like it, sir! I'm sorry, I can't do anything. We have to land the ship if we want to salvage it_."

"…That won't be necessary. If we land the ship, we'll lose our tactical advantage. Instead, I want you to reverse the power lines of the generators. Send all the energy directly to the ship's core."

"_But, sir, that'll blow up the ship once it hits the boilers! That'll waste all the time it took to fill those generators_!"

Agent O's face shadowed with evil. "Sacrifices must be made, private. Rest assured that Phantom will soon be replenishing our supply of energy anyway. We'll set the ship to autopilot and evacuate the crews to a safe distance."

"_Yes, sir_!"

Then Agent O turned to his troops still inside the convoy. "This ship is officially under self-destruct operations! Everyone! Emergency Evacuation Maneuver 3001!" Immediately, chaos erupted as all personnel fled from their stations to the evacuation pods on the sides of the ship.

Before Agent O left the deck, his eye caught a certain lever on the console. It was attached to an EMP bomb, meant to destroy all electric devices in the vicinity.

He narrowed his eyes, weighed the consequences, and then pulled the lever.

* * *

Frostbite whooped in joy as the heavily damaged Convoy slowed its advance, and the footmen began to scatter from the field. "_We're gaining, young one! The humans are retreating_!"

Valerie huffed in satisfaction. "Finally," she gasped, leaning on the pillar to help her stand. She pushed the button to retract her suit's helmet, and as she looked up, she saw the hull's ports retracted the laser weapons and tightly shut. "Looks like they're pulling back. Maybe that means we can take down their ship."

"_Valerie_?" Maddie's uncertain voice interrupted her thoughts. "_I'm getting some strange movements on the radar. It just recorded a massive spike in energy. It's like it appeared out of nowhere_!"

"Must be the ship's movements," the hunter concluded, limping forward a few steps. She grimaced when she pulled out her IV. "Remember how much it spiked when they first hit the dimension?"

"_But Valerie, I don't know if_−"

Suddenly, a high whine cut through the ear piece, and Valerie jumped, startled. "The hell?" she whispered. She paused, but she didn't hear it again. "Mrs. Fenton? …Mrs. Fenton?"

Panic dampened her pain. "Guys?" she said over the earpiece. "Guys? Skulker?"

Nothing but static.

"Frostbite? You there?"

Still nothing.

"Dammit," Valerie cursed, eyes wide. "They cut our communications!"

Not too far away, the rapidly healing Danielle looked up from helping one of the doctors. "How?"

"No idea," the Red Hunter replied, eyes darting. "But this isn't good. They're doing something." She looked up to the ship and all the escape pods rushing forth from it, eyes narrowed.

Danielle gave her a curious look. "What?"

The hunter pressed her lips together. "It _looks _like a retreat…but it's not right."

On the far side of the battlefield, green energy sparked into a barrier around the escape pods. Convoy One surged forward, whining as it began to gain speed towards the hospital. The ghosts stood in uncertainty, wavering between following the retreating humans and trailing the ship.

Danielle followed Valerie's gaze and then froze. Her face reflected sudden fear. "Uh, Valerie? That ship…I feel me and Danny's power again. Like metal but stronger."

"Describe it better," Valerie demanded.

Danielle gave her a helpless look. "It's like it's more concentrated or something, I dunno! But it's…it's…"

Valerie watched the ship, and her eyes widened in sudden understanding. "No…no!" She burst into a run beyond the safety of the barrier, shouting, "No! Everyone, get down!"

Skulker and Frostbite turned around. "What?"

Adrenaline dampened her pain, heightened her fear. "The ship! They rigged the−!"

And the Phantom generators exploded inside the ship's core.

The ship glowed bright green before it broke into a warping vortex of nuclear energy, blasting the entire battlefield before anyone could blink.

* * *

Without warning, Vlad cried out as sharp pain tore into him. The explosion rocked the barrier, and the walls of the hospital groaned under the strain. Sweat dripped from his temples. His central nervous system swept with the electrical energy. The pain drove him to his knees as he bowed under the powerful wave. His heart pumped in his chest faster and faster, and his lungs heaved.

The humans watched, eyes wide. "What's going on? What was that?"

"Something," Vlad gritted through his teeth, feeling his body give way. "Agh, powerful…!"

The moment the wave passed, he dropped in an unmoving heap against the tile. Then, two black rings stormed down his body, revealing pale, human skin and a torn suit. His chest did not rise.

Maddie stared in shock, fear stopping her heart. "…_Vlad_?" she whispered.

* * *

For a moment, everything stopped.

The CGIA stood in awe of the destructive power of the Phantom Generators.

Agent O, from behind the safety of the two remaining ships, stared at the debris and the fallen ghosts, thrown back, splattered against the pavement. Some of his own people were among the fallen, but he skirted over their skewed forms.

Ahead, the magenta barrier guarding the hospital flickered. Then it died.

"Check and mate," he said triumphantly, powering down his own barriers. Communications between the CGIA heads came back online as the new wireless fields refigured themselves. As they did so, the dimensional rift widened to encompass football fields, and it shuddered with lightning and humming power.

Agent O smiled as Convoys Two and Three breached the rift, their hulls shining like dark banners. He turned to the footmen beside him. "Reinforcements are here, gentlemen." He cocked the blaster and lowered his visor. "Let's end the silly games and collect our prize, shall we? Phantom's coordinates show him to be below that building."

"_We're waiting on your signal, _O."

Agent O smiled. "Let's get 'em."

And the CGIA ships raged forward to the hospital, unchallenged, dropping troop after troop onto the concrete.

* * *

_**A/N**__: Here we go. Staging massive battles is incredibly difficult.. This chapter really tested my ability to keep track of all the characters' actions, and I don't know if I did that well or not. Still, I hope you found it at least slightly entertaining. _

_12,642 words and 34 pages on Word, just for this chapter. That's pretty much a 1/10 of the entire story so far. But so much had to happen in this chapter! And I felt like I owed it to you guys to give you something longer than a couple of pages. You know, since you had to wait a good four, five-ish months for this. _

_Chapter completed: Friday, May 04, 2012 at 5:30 PM. _

_Chapter inspiration: Frontline by Pillar. _

_I would really love to know what you think about this chapter, because your responses may alter how I approach the next one! I already have an idea for how I will write the next part, but I'm always open to new ideas. _

**1. Likes/Dislikes?**

**2. Characterizations? Good or bad?**

**3. Plot? Good or bad? **

**4. Questions/Comments/Concerns/Predictions? **

_Thanks for reading,_

_Lightning Streak_

**Please review and tell me whatcha think!**


	27. Chapter 27

_Disclaimer: Don't own DP. _

_**What Happened Last Chapter**__: All the ghosts convened into a small guerilla army in anticipation of the CGIA's attempt to reclaim Danny, who still remains in suspended animation. Despite their best tricks and the help of Danny's friends and family, however, the ghosts are pushed back. Agent O contacts an injured Valerie and demands she surrender, an offer which she refuses. The CGIA evacuate their convoy and rig it to explode, blasting the ghosts and giving them a clear path to Danny's location inside the hospital. The blast takes down the barrier surrounding the hospital and knocks Vlad unconscious, and he transforms into his human form in front of Maddie. Convoys 2 and 3 arrive at the dimensional portal to backup the surviving GIWs, who begin to overrun the dimension._

* * *

**Chained **

**Chapter 27**

* * *

In the sanctity of the still-standing hospital, the emergency lights flickered on, then died.

"Oh…oh my…"

Maddie dropped down beside the unconscious Vladimir Masters. His features were unmistakable, even in the dark. She swallowed hard, heaving for air. "A ghost."

Many, many things clicked in her mind, and conflicting emotions swarmed through her in a torrent. "Like Danny."

Tears that she didn't understand bubbled up in her eyes.

Pity? Fear?

And yet she knew she had no time to process her emotions. Vlad, her husband's despicable friend, the man who flirted shamelessly with her, who had once loved her, wasn't breathing. She tentatively reached for him. _Is he dead…? _

With some effort, she managed to push him on his back, and his gaunt, narrow features faced her, still slack without life. He looked younger, much younger than he truly was.

Tentatively, she tapped his face.

Still nothing.

"Mrs. Fenton?"

Oh, yeah. Sam and Tucker were still there with her. "Hey, is he okay?" Tucker called over.

Fearful that they would react worse to the truth about Vlad than she (had they even seen him transform?), Maddie called out, "I've got this. You two go check on getting power back up, and make sure Danny's still secure!"

The two hesitated, but neither of them having a great love for Vlad, nodded and left to accomplish their own missions.

Maddie's mind raced. She couldn't let him die. If Vlad were truly half-human, like Danny, then he would understand more about the mid-link transformation process than other ghosts. Maybe he was the only one who really knew.

And he had come to _help _her son.

She couldn't just let him die.

She rubbed her temples with a shaking hand, trying to convince herself that those were the only reasons she was about to do something that made her skin crawl. It wasn't like Vlad had once been her friend, or that her husband still believed Vlad was his friend. "Oh God. Okay. If he's still half-human, then maybe…CPR?"

A bit awkwardly, she swallowed hard. "I can't believe I'm going to do this," she mourned. But she knew time was running out; whatever had caused that major surge didn't spell victory for their side.

She tilted Vlad's head towards her with a shaking hand.

Then Maddie leaned over and pressed her lips against his, giving him her breath.

* * *

Outside of the hospital, the bodies of ghosts lied in tangled messes of their original forms.

The blast had thrown Ember back, breaking her guitar into pieces and searing Phantom's power across her skin. She cried out, somersaulting to the hard concrete with a crack.

The power carried with it an old agony, and it washed over her with images of a containment chamber at the CGIA.

Then she felt herself unravel in very unnatural ways.

As the roar of the GIWs rose to deafening heights, Ember lied there on the ground, green eyes wide and unfocused.

For the first time in decades, she felt enough pain to feel alive. To feel in danger of dying again, of being truly snuffed from existence.

A few feet away, Skulker groaned as his exoskeleton shuddered from the damage done to it. His power percentages dropped retracted his cutlass back into his arm and turned around, optics wide. "Ember!"

His faceplates grinded into a scarred grimace as he dug his fingers into the ground and pulled himself closer.

The Guys in White stormed past them in heavily armed squads, eyes trained upon the hospital. They believed the ghosts neutralized threats and did not see their movements.

"Ember," his voice box rasped out, glitching between static frequencies and shorts.

Her pale blue skin whitened as ectoplasm leaked from the burns along her collar bone and throat. Her fiery turquoise hair faded and fell out of its ponytail, cropped and wildly tangled. Her dark makeup smeared and ran.

Skulker reached for her. She turned her head, and her green eyes landed on his in a whirlwind of pain and fear.

She coughed, ectoplasm coating her lips, wincing. "Go…!"

"Not without you," he grunted as he forced himself closer, reaching harder. His fingers shook as Ember curled in on herself.

With a few more dragging seconds, Skulker ended up in a heap beside his girlfriend, breathing heavily with the exertion and rapid deterioration of his energy.

_ Power threshold, thirty percent, _his body armor warned him.

But he paid it no mind. From this distance, he could see all the damage the blast that inflicted on Ember, who had been hit directly without any of the heavy armor he carried.

His hand found hers, and he cradled it next to his face, even as a sob hitched from Ember. "I…I c-can't…" she whispered, voice trailing off. She tried to move her legs, but she was missing one from below the knee. Her eyes brightened with tears (what if she couldn't find a way to regenerate? What if she were crippled forever?). She couldn't fly or fight without sapping too much energy. Skulker tightened his grip on her hand and squeezed it tight.

Guys in White caught a visual of the fallen ghosts moving and immediately moved forward to neutralize them. "Surviving entities targeted! Engage in necessary assault procedures!"

Ember's shaky fingers touched the sides of Skulker's face plates, following the grooved, deep scars the CGIA had placed there. "Get out of here" she rasped.

"Not without you," he said. His sparking, cybernetic hands gently moved beneath her and levied for stability.

Exoskeleton at critical mass, he groaned as he lifted her up. Ember hissed with the sudden pain that trailed through her broken body. Her weak hands clawed at his armor in an attempt to stop him, but he continued on, green optics hardened with determination to get her away from the GIW.

She wasn't going back to those hellish headquarters. Not if he had anything to do about it.

But in the time it had taken him to reach her, the GIW managed to close in around the ghosts. Shadows of men raised their weapons.

A barrage of blasts from the GIW sunk into the heavy-plated armor of Skulker's suit, and he groaned, even as he held Ember closer, protecting her from the attack.

More and more Guys in White surrounded them. Skulker faltered to his knees under the fire, the joints and gears sparking. He realized he would not escape them.

And if he couldn't, neither would Ember.

So he allowed himself to fall, covering Ember with his own body, and he off-lined his optics, shuddering and falling still.

"Play dead," he whispered in her ear, voice glitching.

Ember, without much trouble, went limp in his arms.

The humans stopped firing and stared at the ghosts they presumed exterminated.

"They still have recordable ectoplasmic levels, but without any energy sources," one of them said, lowering a handheld meter, "they'll fade out soon. Our primary concern is locating the war criminal Valerie Gray and obtaining the location of Danny Phantom."

So they moved on, back to their overarching missions. They marched away in quick succession and pivoted around the unconscious ghosts.

In the rubble and debris left behind, Skulker raised up, his optics shuttered back online. _Power threshold, fifteen percent, _his body armor warned him. _Shutting down all unnecessary systems. _

His vocal processors went offline, as did his weaponry.

_ Power threshold, twenty-five percent. _

He looked down at Ember, whose green eyes barely opened. Her streaked makeup lined and splattered her face, making her look like both an old woman and a wild, innocent child.

Skulker's heart thumped in fear as he looked down at the deep gashes in her throat.

Maybe they'd survive, but if they did, it'd be under the rule of the CGIA.

They couldn't fight anymore.

The CGIA was too powerful, too many, to stop.

* * *

The last hospital generators began to spark and die, and the suspended animation chambers below the hospital began to sound an alarm. Without electrical support, the chambers could not sustain the temperature necessary for cyro-stasis.

With Tucker heading to the main electrical breakers, Sam made her way down the basement to the cryo-stasis chambers. She could find no other generators, no circuit boxes, nothing. Her every step grew more and more wary.

If they couldn't get power back up…

She inhaled shakily, her mind's eye conjuring an image of a dark and tainted Danny, one who would not hesitate to murder.

Meanwhile, deep within the cyro-stasis chamber in the basement, the alarms began to screech, hitting a critical point in temperature. The gauges climbed, and condensation collected outside of the chamber.

Danny Phantom's ectoplasmic levels shot to a final one-hundred percent.

The glass cracked, and icy fog leaked through.

_ What the-?_

The delicate threads of Danny's mind frayed further as he slowly awoke from cyro-stasis. Although his body was still unresponsive, his mind flared to life. He realized he was bound, and for a second, he believed himself still in the clutches of the CGIA.

Panic tore through him, and his icy breath caught in his throat.

In the back of his mind, he thought he saw the scientists standing over him, turning his chin every which way, writing on their clipboards…waiting for approval to string him up again and tear at his jumpsuit with their gloves…then hooking him up to their machines and watching him hide his tears of pain and shame as he shook from the voltage.

_ "It appears his outputs have been dampened since the electrical surge." _

_ "Then increase the machine!" _

_ "Yes, sir." _

_ And painpainpain entered his mind, his heart, his lungs. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe. _

_ His dry lips cracked open. "P-please…" _

_ "Is it speaking?" _

_ "Yes, I believe it is." _

_ "Please…s-stop…" He managed to raise his head, to stare one of them in the eyes. To make them see the humanity still left in him. "Please!"_

_ It was the first time he had spoken in weeks. The last thing he had. Words. _

_ "…Is it begging?" _

_ They tilted their heads. _

_ One smirked. "Yes, I believe it is." _

_ Then the machine increased its demand for power, and suddenly the world spun as his essence and soul leeched away from his body in a warp of pain, leaving him a breathless husk. His limbs and head hung from his body like heavy weights. _

_ He looked up at the lights dancing in a hallucinatory circle as he slumped against the back of his cage. His chest heaved with the labor of breathing and blinking. His lips moved with wordless pleas. _

_ And then one of the scientists, a woman, stepped up to him. "Aww, you know, it's kinda cute when it begs. Like a puppy." She tapped her long fingers against his glass encasement. "Say please again," she whispered, lips curling up. "And maybe we'll give you a treat." _

_ He felt pressure build in his head, and he began to feel dizzy. _

_ "You can't teach an old ghost new tricks," another scientist joked. _

_ But stripped of strength and dignity, Danny managed an unsupported, pained plea. His dry, cracked lips parted once more._

_** No! Don't give in. Stand tall! **__An unfamiliar darkness in his mind made him hesitate for but a second._

_ Forget pride. He wanted the pain to stop. _

_ Tears of shame brightened his eyes. He looked straight into her gaze and fought to see beyond the darkness there. "Please…" _

_ The woman scientist smiled, predatory. "Oh, I can teach this one. I can teach him many, many tricks…can't I, sweetheart?" _

That smile, that inhuman desire for suffering, crashed against Danny's will, and the brightness of his mind went dark, smothered like a dying flame.

Suddenly, Danny Phantom's eyes snapped open, red, panicked. Revulsion and fear swarmed through him as he inhaled a breath he didn't need and struggled against the buckles holding him in place. Then his memories cleared from his eyes. He frowned, his sharp gaze recognizing where he was. With a quick pull of strength, he snapped the buckles.

He was in a containment chamber, but much different than the ones used by the CGIA. No, no: this was meant to keep him from hurting himself, evidenced by the smooth and well-padded straps.

_ Huh. _

He placed his hands against the freezing, glass compartment. His blue lips unfroze themselves, and he smiled. "Curious," he hummed in appreciation. His fingers suddenly sunk deep into the glass, shattering its innards into splinters.

But his smile faltered as the glass prison glowed bright blue and shocked him. "A barrier?" he wondered. _Must have been an extra security measure_.

He closed his eyes as power surged into his every nerve, outlining his veins. The barrier whined as it dissipated under his aura.

And then nothing stood between him and freedom.

All of his senses bombarded him with new information. No ghost signatures registered nearby within the hospital, and Danny frowned. His heightened aura shot forth beyond the walls of the cyro-stasis chambers to the farthest edges of the hospital.

There, he encountered an even greater surprise. His own signature, cold and metallic, warping with countless points of origin.

Phantom inhaled sharply. "CGIA," he breathed. "An army of them."

But instead of a sneer or a grimace, his lips curled into an awful smile. "Perfect."

Then he materialized into darkness.

"…Danny?" Sam's voice echoed through the suspension chambers, originating not too far down from his location. "Danny!"

The woman's purple eyes darted, scanning the cyro-stasis room.

Then, she saw it. The chamber, once locked and sealed, was decimated. The heavy straps were broken. Glass shards littered the floor.

Her eyes dilated. "Oh no."

In fear, Sam ran out, grabbing a blaster off the wall before she did.

* * *

On the other side of the battlefield, right beside the front of the hospital, lay an unmoving Valerie Gray. Her head had cracked painfully on the ground, and she had felt something snap in her chest, stealing away her breath, her consciousness.

The world went dark, then hazy again. She wavered on the brink of the waking world, unable to think or process much of anything.

As she fought her way back, the sound of boots pounding pavement registered in her ears. But she didn't hear their approach towards her until it was too late.

She opened her eyes, and a blurry figure blocked her view of anything else.

Cold ice stormed through her, and she was too slow to move.

Agent O grabbed Valerie's bad arm, and she gasped in pain as he hauled her up. She swayed and very nearly leaned on him to keep standing.

And was that the sound of her wheezing for air?

"Valerie Gray," Agent O announced, "you've been more trouble than you're worth."

Before she could move, he slammed his fist into her jaw.

His steel force sent her reeling back, teal eyes rolling up. She collapsed to the ground in a heap of writhing pain, wrenching all her bones yet again. He watched in satisfaction as a groan escaped her bloody lips, even as she reached for her weapon with desperate fingers. He kicked it out of the way. "You're pathetic," he told her. "You don't know when to stop."

For good measure, Agent O kicked her in the ribs. Her body jerked, and a pained whimper tore from her throat. Sharp pangs flamed in her body, and she curled in on herself to stop them.

_ Get up get up get up_, the neurons in her brain fired rapidly, but her failing body couldn't.

He kicked her again, watching tears of pain and anger slide down her face. "Can't even protect yourself, huh?"

Flashes of a dark room with a ghost, Danny Phantom, tore through her mind. She remembered him slumped against bars, struggling to breathe as the scientists shot him again and again with their weapons.

For that moment, Valerie felt a particular camaraderie with Danny. She wanted to fight, but the world spun under Agent O's steel-toed combat boots.

Then the commanding agent snapped his fingers, and two subordinates moved forward and picked Valerie up by her arms. She cried out as they jarred her beaten body, and she weakly thrashed against them, but they held her strong. They forced her to stand on shaking legs.

For a second, only Valerie's pained gasps echoed in the silence.

"It's over, Valerie," Agent O said. "This game of yours never stood a chance." Terror swarmed through her as he walked closer. "Now tell me where Phantom is."

She swallowed back blood and shook her head as she wheezed for air. Her thoughts scrambled every which way. Was her jaw broken? Maybe it was. She tried to think of an escape, but only her own panic reverberated in her mind.

Nearly two-hundred and fifty soldiers stood off to the side, waiting for Agent O's orders to infiltrate the hospital. Waiting for Valerie, their old superior, to break down and give the exact location of Danny Phantom.

Valerie's eyes wandered, in search of her army, in search of life.

Agent O grabbed her sweaty, matted curls and jerked her face up. Hot flashes of pain snaked down her spine. "I asked nicely, Valerie," he said, fingers digging into her scalp with suppressed anger.

He stared into her rolling, teal eyes with a seriousness that was not lost upon her.

What would he do to her if she didn't answer? Kill her and then search out Danny Phantom anyways?

What was this, then? A show of power, of the might of the CGIA? That they enjoyed playing with their food before eating it?

Revulsion and hatred for the man swept through her, and she gathered her strength. With a curled lip, she spat on him. Pleasure swarmed through her when she saw droplets of her own blood spray in his face.

For a second, Agent O froze in shock. Valerie delighted in the twitches of his face and in his speechless mouth.

Silence swung around for a bit between them.

In a show of great disgust, he wiped off the spit from his face. "I see," he said, voice stilted. But then he recovered.

"If that's how you feel about it…" Agent O pressed the end of a cold barrel to Valerie's head. "I'll just put you out of your misery."

Valerie stared him down despite the fear pounding into every last nerve. She was really going to die in the Ghost Zone, after betraying her own race for the sake of a friend gone mad.

The gun in Agent O's hand was a blaster, but it packed enough of a punch to be deadly to humans as well.

"Y-you…gonna k-kill me?" she rasped in challenge, her jaw aching with every word. Maybe it wasn't broken, but it sure felt like it. "Here?" She tried to laugh, and it wheezed with bitterness. "A-against your p-precious _rules_."

"Execution of an unruly prisoner is within my authority," he hissed. "You can forget imprisonment. Your death will be far more expedient."

He put his finger on the trigger. The end of the barrel was icy, and it goose bumped her skin the more she thought about it being shoved against her skull. "Goodbye, Valerie."

She refused to close her eyes, rebellious to the end. _If you're gonna watch me die, _she seethed in her mind, _then you're gonna see you never broke me. _

She stifled the deep fear in her belly.

This was it.

Then, suddenly, a voice from above them all said, "Well, well, if isn't the CGIA doing what it does best. Coercion and torture."

Agent O's eyes widened. He wheeled around, pulling the ecto-gun away from Valerie's head.

A dark shadow floated above the hospital, arms crossed. The powerful lines of its body were solid and sharp. Its shock white locks glowed like an unholy beacon.

Agent O acknowledged the presence. "Danny Phantom."

A dark smile lifted the ghost's lips and glinted in his red eyes. "Miss me?"

The agents automatically dropped Valerie to raise their weapons at Danny. Weapons whined and charged up. A few henchmen faltered in their steps and trembled at the sight of their unleashed enemy.

The ghost tsked at the agents, but he did not act against them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he mocked them. "Somebody's going to get hurt."

He caught many of them swallowing hard and backing away. If their instruments were any indication, the Danny Phantom before them was significantly more powerful than they had ever seen.

Only Agent O showed no fear. Instead, his face smoothed into an impassive mask as he re-holstered the blaster. He pulled out his second gun, a .38 Colt, and he pointed it at Valerie. It would do much more damage than the blunt force trauma and burns associated with an ecto-gun. "You come any closer," he threatened casually, "and your little marionette here dies a very bloody death."

Valerie inhaled sharply as she tried to pick herself off the ground, to no avail.

Danny Phantom scoffed. "My…little marionette?" An amused glint tilted his lips and darkened his red eyes. "Even _I_ can't control her. You're an idiot to think you ever could."

Agent O pulled back the gun to cock it, and he pointed it back at Valerie's skull. "Then you won't mind if I kill her. Provide corporal punishment for her failures."

Phantom's lip curled. His right palm began to glow a bright green. Before Agent O could blink, Phantom shot the gun out of his hand, and it landed on the ground with a solid clunk. Various squadrons of GIWs raised their guns higher and fired, kneeling down to plant themselves solid for combat.

Phantom flew up to avoid the blasts, and moving too fast to see, he appeared right before Agent O and grabbed his throat with steely fingers. Immediately, the firing concentrated on Phantom. Blasts tore at his suit, his skin. Rivulets of ectoplasm trailed from the burns.

"On the contrary," he said to Agent O as he forced the man to look at him, voice rough with dark emotion, "I do mind. I mind very much."

The agent met Phantom's eyes with great defiance, even as he choked from Phantom clenching his throat tighter. Agent O's large hands grabbed at the ghost's arms to push away, but steel muscle that didn't flinch under the pain of the blasts locked the agent in place.

Fear leeched into the man's eyes. Phantoms shoulders, his sides, the right side of his face burned with blasts from the GIWs' ecto-guns, but it didn't even affect him.

Phantom stared Agent O down with manic eyes. "You're pathetic," he mocked softly. "You just don't know when to stop."

Then, with a powerful pivot, Phantom threw Agent O to the side. The man's body slammed against a hospital pillar with a sickening crack, sinking down to the concrete like a broken rag doll. A trail of blood streaked down the pillar and down his nose.

He didn't get up.

Phantom sniffed with satisfaction and gave the agent no other thought as the remaining GIWs stood in shock, frozen at the sight of their fallen commander.

The chain of command quickly set into place. Faceless men in the crowd rose up and barked orders. A team quickly moved to surround Agent O while the rest fired their blasters at Phantom.

Phantom raised his arm, and from him spread out a shining green shield. The blasts harmlessly bounced off as his skin and suit began to knit itself back together from the damage he'd willingly taken on to neutralize Agent O. He leaned down and with his free arm scooped up the near-unconscious Valerie Gray.

Then he spiraled up and flew back behind the hospital, disappearing from the sight of the duly floored and hesitant CGIA, who floundered on whether to pursue or re-strategize.

As the seconds passed, no one moved to follow.

* * *

_**A/N**__: So, once I started hitting 27 pages in Word (and no end in sight!) with what would have been this chapter, I realized I could split it. This way, you guys could have a chapter now and another one very soon. I'm sorry about the longer wait for this chapter. The good news is I'm about halfway done with the next chapter! Trying to get as much done now as I can. _

_Hope you liked this installment! It's about time Danny got a fighting chance, right?_

_The most trouble with this chapter was this: the multiple perspectives I took in the last chapter created too many necessary plot threads for me to focus only on Danny Phantom. I felt that I couldn't skip straight to Danny waking up without at least an example of what had happened to the people who fought for him. There are also other threads that I will still have to address in part 2. __I'd love to know your opinion on whose perspectives may interest you the most that you want to see next chapter, whether that be Valerie's, Danielle's, Vlad's, Maddie's, etc._

**1. Plot? **

**2. Characterization? **

**3. Style? **

**4. Other Comments? **

_Again, thanks to everyone for reading, reviewing, and favoriting this story! Love you guys!_

_-Lightning Streak_


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